


The Cover

by iL0Vsuperman



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Communication Failure, Courtroom Drama, Criminal trial, Drama & Romance, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, False Accusations, False rape accusations, Friendship/Love, Graphic Violence, Lovey-Dovey, M/M, Manipulating the Media, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, News Media, Paparazzi, Plot, Public Display of Affection, Sexual Content, Stony - Freeform, Tags out of order, Twitter, fake relationship au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-04-04 08:23:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 54,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4130964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iL0Vsuperman/pseuds/iL0Vsuperman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The front cover of every newspaper always sways public opinion. This fact led Tony to deduce that this was the reason everyone loved Steve so much because he was the media’s darling. </p><p>Yet that all changes when one of Tony’s disgruntled, ex-employees claims Steve to have sexually assaulted her. With the media’s exaggerated coverage, the people call for Steve’s head. And, with charges pending, Tony knows something just as sensational needs to be done to sway opinion again or Steve will be convicted based on public opinion alone. </p><p>…Which was how Tony came up with the idea of a fake, gay relationship and it would have been perfect. It was sensational, not just because Steve had not dated any one since he woke, but it was a homosexual relationship with Mr. Conservative and Apple Pie!! The media would froth at the mouth! </p><p>And it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Tony had been pinning after his best friend for the last couple of years… Nope. It's just a coincidence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lies and Headlines

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warnings that may apply: The assault/rape did not happen but will be brought up and examined throughout the story. The media will also bring it up and worsen it to try to get a rise out of Steve.
> 
> 4/16 EDIT: I have dealt with negative comments before but, for the first time in all my years of writing fanfiction, I just deleted a comment from this fiction and I wish to address this before any readers proceed. 
> 
> I can understand why this fanfiction can be triggering for some people. This is why I tagged and added additional notes at the beginning of the chapter to this fiction. If you still insist on reading it and are upset by it, when you comment, please be civilized. I will respond to comments of people making rational or valid points and delete comments of users who viciously degrade myself or my work. 
> 
> When one clicks “Proceed” to enter a Mature work, one needs to keep a mature mindset for not just the content but the people behind the content as well. 
> 
> I am a human being.  
> I am just like you.  
> I have feelings too. 
> 
> …Now that drama is all done, enjoy the fic! :D

To Tony, one thing was certain: Steve was the media’s sweetheart and Tony was the old dog they liked to kick.

The paparazzi always barraged Tony with questions about his sex life, the supposed new alcohol or drug scandal of the week, the dangers of his Iron Man suit, telling him who hated him, telling him who hated him but wanted to fuck him…

And then there was TMZ asking him if he rather be a Jedi Master or a Starship Captain…

Alright, Tony loved the guys at TMZ and their hilariously ridiculous questions (his answer was Starship Captain) but the rest of them could go fuck themselves in his opinion.

He spent his entire life under the watchful eyes of the media and, since he was a child, all they tried to do was find all his dirty little secrets and make his life a living hell. Even when he was saving lives, the media was all about what he did wrong: he did not save a certain building from falling, he did not stop a super villain from taking hostages, he let his science hobbies get in the way with his work with the Avengers, he let his work with the Avengers get in the way of his needed scientific breakthroughs, and on and on and on…

But then there was Steve.

When Steve was questioned, they asked him how his day was, how he was adjusting to the new century, or they were generally just nice to him. He somehow became a symbol of perfection and all the media outlets seemed to team up together to keep this glowing holy image of their Captain.

Tony was insanely jealous but, at the same time, he was worried. Steve never knew the other side to the paparazzi. He saw them as _nice_ people. In a million years, he would never suspect them to turn on him and, with them, the rest of the public at large. And Tony knew, Steve, with his huge, caring heart, would be crushed by the negative backlash.

So, yes, Tony was jealous but he prayed Steve would never have to experience what he had to. Tony had long since learned to let it roll off him but he doubted Steve could easily do the same.

\---

But it did not seem Tony prayed hard enough.

Jarvis alerted Tony to the scandal minutes before it hit all the major news stations.

Tony knew the scandal to be fake as soon as he heard it. Steve was his best friend. He knew the man better than himself and he _knew_ this was impossible. But the girl spun a convincing tale and had “evidence.” In addition, it was juicy and appalling enough to make the media turn on Steve in a heartbeat.

Tony dropped the specs he was working on and ran straight to where Jarvis directed him to where Steve was.

The super soldier, thankfully, was nowhere near any media devices or within reach of the paparazzi. Steve was busily hitting the punching bag in the main gym in the Avengers Tower, only a floor below Tony’s workshop.

Tony did not pause like he usually did to admire the way Steve’s ass clenched as he punched. There was no time for naughty thoughts about his best friend right now.

“Steve!”

Steve’s throws came to an immediate halt and he turned to Tony with a serious expression. Steve’s eyes raked over him and, by the sound of Tony’s voice and his current appearance, Steve instantly knew something was off.

“What’s wrong?” Steve demanded. Tony recognized the tense stance as Steve taking on the posturing of Captain America and readying himself mentally for battle.

“Susan Tyler,” Tony replied and Steve’s brows shot together.

“Who?”

Tony sighed heavily and wondered if he should sit Steve down or maybe put a comforting hand on his shoulder. The larger man’s posturing was dying down as his concerned confusion grew.

“…She was a maid here until Pepper fired her for-for…being inappropriate.”

He did not think it possible but Steve’s brows pinched together tighter.

Steve asked, “Inappropriate?”

“She wasn’t throwing out the Avengers’ trash,” Tony replied. “She was keeping it.”

Steve’s eyes widened a fraction and he gasped, “Wow…yes, that – that’s inappropriate.” Steve cleared his throat and clarified, “A-All of it?”

Tony nodded and wondered if Steve was putting it together yet. Tony jumped in either way and said, “Susan was obviously upset but she’s now filing charges on us for unlawful firing, slander, assault…and rape.”

All the blood drained from Steve’s face and he hissed, “ _What_?”

“It seems she kept our disposed of samples,” Tony explained as diplomatically as he could when referring to his and the rest of the male team’s masturbation habits.

Steve’s face went beet red and Tony was not sure if it was from anger, mortification, disgust, or a combination of all three.

Tony continued, hoping hitting Steve with both shocking revelations at once would lessen the blow, “Steve, she’s using one of those samples to prove her accusation…”

Steve stared at him with an unreadable expression as he absorbed Tony’s statement and then he stated, “It’s mine. Isn’t it?”

Tony winced at the stoic tenor to his friend’s voice and replied, “Yeah…Yeah it is…”

"I didn't touch that woman," Steve whispered frantically, as if he were trying to convince Tony of otherwise. 

"I know, Steve," Tony whispered. "You'd never hurt anyone like this..."

Steve’s shoulders slumped and his eyes got big and glassy like a sad puppy. It took all of Tony’s willpower not to hug him. Instead, he clasped his shoulder and promised, “She is not going to get away with this! It’s going to get nasty. People are going to look at you differently. But know that me and the rest of the Avengers know the truth and we’re going to be with you throughout it! Better yet, I come with a pack of lawyers who are going to tear this woman apart!”

Steve’s eyes were still glassy and sad but his mouth quirked into a tiny smile. He whispered, “Thanks, Tony.”

Tony huffed sadly and rubbed Steve’s back as he replied, “I’d do anything for you, man…Now, come on. We need to contact my lawyers and start building your defense…”

\---

The Tower was surrounded by news cameras within the hour.

Tony called the rest of the Avengers back to the Tower and they hunkered down in the community room. Unsurprisingly, none of them elected to turn on the television.

Clint glared out the window at the encampment of reporters growing at an alarming rate several dozen stories below. Even at the high level they were at, the mass of bodies below was large enough to be seen from their height. The archer stated, "I want to play target practice with those ants..."

“Please don't. Or you'll garner more support for Ms. Tyler,” Steve sighed, his face buried in his hands.

“Please do not call her ‘Ms. Tyler,’” Tony grumbled from behind his laptop. “’Ms.’ makes her sound civilized.”

Steve glanced over to Tony but the older man did not look up from his screen.

Steve’s usual mixture of feelings toward Tony was now even more of an enormous mess of a blend after Tony broke the news to him. Tony appeared enraged by it, even more so than Steve, and he was pulling all out all the stops to get a handle on the situation. Steve was too shocked by the fact that someone would accuse him of doing this to react just yet. It was too unbelievable to him still.

Steve studied Tony for a moment and then replied, “If I call her ‘Susan’ then it sounds too personal and…gross.”

The corner of Tony’s mouth twitched and he glanced up to Steve, meeting his eyes, as he said, “Just call her Tyler. Or better yet, call her Tyler-the-Liar. That’s going to be our campaign slogan.”

“Don’t you have her on video stealing the…’samples?’” Bruce inquired awkwardly, his eyes flickering over to Steve with a slight blush. “Can’t we use that to disprove her?”

Steve’s mortification stooped to new heights and he felt his flush return, burning hotter than before. If they watched the video from his room…what if they saw him – _oh_ _God_ – what if they heard..? Would they be able to see the image on Steve’s tablet??

Steve’s face was bright red and his embarrassment was clearly on display. He stared at the coffee table between them, refusing to look at any of his friends’ expressions.

“I don’t have Jarvis record anything in your personal rooms,” Tony retorted and Steve dropped his head in relief.

This alone was an absolute nightmare, he could not imagine the amount of added stress if Tony found out Steve used his image to masturbate to as well.

\---

Tony could not stop the initial onslaught. The story was going to be published no matter how many connections he pulled and how much money he bribed with. The story was out and, despite it being the middle of the night, it was already all over social media, spreading like wild fire. If the news outlets did not run with the story, whispers of a cover-up would tarnish Steve’s reputation further. So Tony had to grit his teeth and let it happen.

Tony had all of the major newspapers delivered to the Tower the next morning and winced when he saw their cover stories. He laid them out on the coffee table and the rest of the Avengers hovered over the stories as they read their captions.

Tony looked away from the papers and to Steve. His stomach twisted disagreeably as he watched the Super Soldier’s expression become paler and more unpleasantly, unreadable.

“…So they clearly believe her,” Steve stated. His eyes were focused on a picture of Steve in his uniform and the caption reading “America’s Shame.”

“ _It’s a load of bull_ ,” Tony growled. “They’re going to post this kind of crap even if they know it’s not true! They’re just doing it to sell the story!”

“The truth will come out, Steve,” Natasha promised and Steve smiled at her. Tony could have kissed her. A promise from Natasha was as good as gold.

“No killing,” Steve attempted to joke, though they could all tell there was no humor behind it. Even now he was trying to be strong for them when it was them who should be helping him through this…

Thor was the most upset of them all as he still did not understand earthling ways. The Norse God demanded, “Why are the heralds delivering false and slanderous information?! This cannot stand!”

“It won’t big guy,” Tony promised. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and promised, “I’m drawing out the big guns right now. Tyler won’t know what hit her.”

Pepper and his lawyers were waiting downstairs and the podium where they were to release Steve’s statement was almost done being constructed.

It was Pepper who took center stage and the Avengers finally turned on the television to watch her speech.

She laid out the facts of the matter: Tyler was an ex-employee and was fired for invading the Avengers’ privacy. She stole Steve’s ejaculate from the trash. Steve did not know of her existence until Tyler made her accusation. She has records of being mentally unstable. Steve and the Avengers were filing lawsuits against her for harassment, false charges, invasion of privacy, theft, and a number of others involving her criminal activities. Steve, meanwhile, had no history of committing any types of sexual assault and was currently in a stable relationship –.

“No, I’m not,” Steve protested as soon as the words left her lips.

“We’ll find you a girlfriend,” Tony replied. “We got to change the story about you. You masturbating into a sock is not a good image but you, using a condom, being in a consensual relationship with someone you love is! Also you haven’t publicly dated anyone since you were defrosted and now that it’s out that you are dating is huge. Everyone is going to want to know about the lucky lady who finally captured your heart!”

Steve pursed his lips into a tight line and scowled at Tony.

Tony crooked an eyebrow at him and said, “What? Sorry! We’re trying to save your ass! Next time I will ask permission before I set you up and clear your name in one sitting!”

“I don’t want to lie…” Steve mumbled, turning his attention back to the screen.

“Well, we don’t have to,” Tony reasoned with a frown. An odd pressure formed in his chest as he suggested, “Why don’t we pair you with someone you’re interested in? How about Sharon?”

“Sharon?” Steve asked, clearly taken aback by the suggestion.

Tony could not help but feel a little thrill from Steve’s shock. It looks like the SHIELD agent’s crush was one-sided. Tony continued, “Is there anyone?”

Steve looked back to him and, for a moment, it felt like they were the only two in the room. Tony leaned toward him and impossible thoughts ran through his head. Steve looked away and Tony was knocked back into the real world. No, it was not possible. It was just Tony’s imagination running wild again…

Finally, Steve looked away and replied, “There isn’t anyone…”

The pressure released his chest and Tony could not but feel a little down. So much for that fantasy.

\---

The detectives came for Steve after the press conference.

Tony wanted the others to delay the detectives and get in their way to keep Steve out of their hands for as long as possible but Steve would have none of it.

He commanded his friends to stand aside and went to the elevator to meet the detectives in the lobby.

Tony rushed into the lift before the doors sealed and went down with him.

“What are you doing?” Steve asked. His heart was racing at a quicker pace from Tony’s sudden move. He had expected his friend to sulk.

“I’m not letting you face those vultures alone,” Tony growled.

Steve originally thought he was referring to the detectives but he found out who the real vultures were once the detectives pulled up to the front of the station and the reporters descended upon them like they were a freshly deceased carcass.

“See,” Tony hissed. “ _Vultures_.”

Steve was too shocked to reply. Tony’s people came up to the car and gave them enough room to exit. He let Tony lead him out of the car and stared at all the people and cameras with a dazed expression.

Questions were being thrown at him from every direction and flashes from cameras blinded him.

“Duck your head and watch your feet or you’ll go blind,” Tony hissed in his ear. If Steve wasn’t so shocked by the display before him, he would have been embarrassed by how close Tony was to him. Tony put a hand on the small of his back and pushed him forward with his body turned protectively toward Steve.

Steve followed his friend’s lead and they slowly pushed through the mass of people.

Steve tried to ignore the questions thrown at him but he could not help but hear things like:

“Who are you currently seeing?!”

“Did you rape her, Cap?!”

“Are you going to leave the Avengers?!”

“How many other women have you slept with?!”

“Is Tyler a spurned lover?!”

And on and on the questions went, getting more vulgar and more insulting as he got closer to his destination. By the time they went through the doors and they were sealed behind them Steve was literally shaking with rage and humiliation.

“You got your perp walk, I hope you’re both happy!” Tony growled to the detectives. “Now ask your pointless questions and when we leave you better give us the courtesy of leaving out the back door or your department is going to suddenly find itself with a significant budget cut!”

“Mr. Stark is clearly upset and with good reason,” one of Tony’s lawyers cut in before anymore words could be said. She stepped between Tony and the detectives and continued with a frown, “He is not threatening this department but reacting to distress after he and his _innocent_ friend were put through a traumatizing experience. The ‘perp walk’ was unnecessary and degrading. Your superiors will certainly be hearing about it.”

The detectives glared at the lawyers but Steve shot a grateful glance toward the woman. Steve usually would have berated Tony for talking to an officer like that but he was currently having trouble finding his voice at the moment. His shock returned and he currently was baffled by the fact he was being treated like a criminal by people he had worked with and helped. Did they really believe he did it?

Tony glared at his employee but wisely did not retort whatever was on his mind.

They were taken to a conference room since the interrogation room was too small for the half a dozen lawyers that came with Tony. Despite Tony’s objections, he could not go with them and promised to wait outside.

Steve sat at the middle of the table and lawyers sat on both sides of him and a few stood behind him as if they were creating a protective barrier around him. Strangely, it was comforting to have these people around him.

Steve allowed Tony’s lawyers to take control and trusted in their abilities. They were in there for a little over three hours, in which, the detectives asked him hundreds of questions and a good chunk of them were the same question repeated or asked a different way, which was: “Did you rape Susan Tyler?”

“No,” Steve replied before any of Tony’s lawyers could dictate otherwise. For this, he wanted to get the record straight.

They asked him a number of questions about the “supposed” rape and the events that led up to it. They asked for an alibi and, with Jarvis’s help, they were able to prove he in fact had an alibi for the day in question. He had been on a mission for SHIELD, infiltrating a terrorist plane as it was midflight.

When the questions were winding down, they unexpectedly asked him, “Who are you in a relationship with?”

“What does that have to do with the investigation?” One of the lawyer snapped in rebuttal.

“The woman can be a character witness,” one of the detectives replied.

“Or you can make a lot of money off slipping her name to the press,” another lawyer retorted. “If you don’t have any viable questions left, then we will take our leave. Unless Captain Rogers is under arrest?”

Steve stiffened and clenched his hands under the table.

“…No, we are still compiling our evidence. He is free to go.”

Steve sighed lightly and he relaxed his grip.

“Thank you,” he said and stood. He let the lawyers surround him and lead him out of the room.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, Tony barreled through the mass of bodies around Steve and ran into him. Steve caught him and stared at his friend’s disheveled appearance with concern.

“Tony? Are you okay?”

“The coffee here sucks, I have been threatened with arrest three and a half times, and the internet connection is so bad it’s like living in the Dark Ages! But who cares about me! Are you alright?? No one would tell me _anything_!”

Steve smiled and tightened his hold on Tony for just a moment before pulling back and letting him go. Steve replied, “Everything is alright. I have an alibi and am not under arrest.”

Tony sighed heavily and said, “Good. I would have raised hell if they even tried to keep you _overnight_!”

“Mr. Stark, Mr. Rogers, the detectives need to collect Mr. Rogers’ DNA to compare it to the sample Ms. Tyler gave.”

“Oh,” Steve whispered, his elation dropping significantly. “Right…”

It was not over just yet. They still had “evidence.”

Tony hovered by his side as they escorted him to the lab technician. The young man stared star-struck at him and shook a little as he swabbed the inside of Steve’s cheek with an elongated q-tip. He plucked a few hairs from his head with just as much nervousness.

Tony glared at the young man the entire time, causing Steve to glare at Tony. It wasn’t this kid’s fault he needed to collect samples from Steve.

Eventually the demeaning process was over and Steve was uneasy again. Could his alibi hold up against DNA in a trial? What if Tyler said she made a mistake about the date and his alibi crumbled?

Lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed Tony leading him again with his hand on Steve’s back until they were outside and a car door was opened for him. Steve glanced around them. They were behind the police station in the fenced off parking lot. There was no sign of reporters or a single camera.

Steve turned to Tony with a smile and gratefully said, “Thank you.”

“I-It’s nothing,” Tony stuttered. “We would have sued the department if we went through that again.”

“No, really, Tony. Thank you, for everything. Between the lawyers and the advice…even warning me…thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

Tony shrugged and a slight flush stained his cheeks.

\---

Pepper had left a stack of the latest gossip rags sitting on his workbench for him when he got home. Tony dove into them eagerly, excited to see what the press conference had changed.

Steve went to his room to shower, probably to get the filth of the paparazzi off of him but, upon cracking open the first magazine, Tony knew they were the first thing Steve needed to see as soon as he was out.

None of them mentioned Tyler.

The main stories in them were focused on Steve, and not the investigation, but his love life! They were all trying to guess who the lucky lady was in the ‘stable relationship.’ Many were guessing Natasha, which wasn’t a surprise. They were close friends and worked together on a lot of missions. Steve was actually one of the few people that could make the cold hearted assassin drop her façade for a few seconds to genuinely smile.

Others guessed Pepper and Tony laughed aloud imagining the two together. Pepper was grounded whereas Steve was always in motion. It would never work!

One magazine actually had a foldout of all the possible women in Steve’s life. It had a chart with over two dozen images. Each box contained a photo snapped of Steve with a woman and beneath each photo was a description of the woman and the possibility of a relationship. Natasha, Pepper, and Sharon were all there, in addition to the Villainess the Enchantress which made Tony laugh aloud again. The photo included was from the fight with the woman. Steve had his shield raised to block off one of the woman’s attacks. That woman gave Steve “the hebbie gebbies” as quoted by the Captain himself.

Tony was snickering as he read the explanation but he stopped when his eye caught sight of the final image tucked into the corner of the fold out. It was meant to be a joke on the magazine’s part but it affected Tony all the same. The picture was of Steve and Tony standing close, both of them were wearing tuxes and Tony recognized it was from the gala they went to last month to support the city’s firefighters. He could not take his eyes off the blond that night. It was rare to see Steve in a tuxedo and looked so handsome in it.

Underneath the photo it simply read, “Or maybe Cap’s batting for another team! ;D”

“I wish,” Tony whispered. He stared at the photo and, after several long moments, the solution suddenly hit him.

“Steve!” Tony gasped, jumping to his feet. “Jarvis! Where’s Steve?”

“He will be with you momentarily, Sir,” Jarvis replied and Tony bounced on the balls of his feet with impatience.

Steve jogged into the room, his hair still damp from the shower, and he said, “Jarvis said you needed to see me?”

“I got it!” Tony said, shoving the magazine into Steve’s hands.

Steve stared at the foldout with a bewildered expression and then asked, “Am I supposed to choose one of these women to be my ‘girlfriend?’”

“No, no, no! Look!” Tony pointed to their photo and Steve’s face went blank.

“Tony…” Steve began but then paused at a loss for words.

“ _I_ will be your significant other!” Tony gasped excitedly.

“…You,” Steve replied dumbly and a slight flush crawled onto his cheeks.

“Yes! Don’t you see! It’s perfect! Not only are you in a stable relationship but you are with a _man_! You can claim to be gay and have no attraction whatsoever to women! There’s no record of you dating before the war or after! For all everyone knows, you didn’t date because you were _gay_ and being ousted in the forties meant being arrested! And we can say we didn’t tell anyone about our relationship now because we wanted to keep it private! Tyler can claim you raped her all she wants but with your alibi, Pepper’s testimony as to why she was fired, and your dating _me_ , there’s no way anyone will believe her! They’ll see you as the victim! Another gay man unjustly treated for his sexual orientation! We can even spin it that Tyler did this because she’s a bigot! _Oh my God, Steve, this is brilliant! I am devious_!”

“...”

Steve stared at him wide-eyed and his mouth slightly agape. Tony suddenly took a step back and reevaluated what he just said and revealed. Some of what he spewed may have been a personal fantasy of his, dreaming that the reason Steve didn’t date was because of old 1940s fears…but, for all he knew, Steve himself might still hold onto those homophobic tendencies from his era.

“…Or not,” Tony murmured self-consciously.

“No – I mean…wow, Tony…You just…wow,” Steve gasped, staring at him strangely.

“Are you alright with the idea of ‘dating’ me?” Tony asked self-consciously. “We don’t have to…I mean, you can date Sharon if you want and it will probably work out just as fine. You know what, forget I said anything. This insane idea never happened, it’s co—.”

“No, no…Why Sharon again?” Steve asked about Sharon, looking beyond confused. He smiled bashfully at Tony and said, “I-It’s perfect…I – Yes, let’s do it.”

Tony’s eyebrows rose, out of his control. Did Steve really just agree? Mr. Conservative and Apple pie agreed to a homosexual relationship? Although it was a fake one, it was still a gay one! Tony clarified, “You’re alright with a fake, _gay_ relationship? I mean – we’re going to have to be convincing – we’re probably going to have to kiss and what not.”

Steve’s expression dropped a little but whatever fell was picked up in seconds and replaced by a nervous smile.

“…If I have to fake a relationship with someone…I think my best friend is the best option, don’t you? No one knows me better,” Steve replied and Tony’s heart clenched a little.

“Best friend, indeed,” Tony agreed but on the inside he felt sad which was the exact opposite reaction he expected. The word fake was being thrown between carelessly but Tony just wanted to throw it far away and make it real…

Tony sighed. That wasn’t going to happen. They would put on the charade and save Steve’s reputation. After all, what were best friends for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this fiction is going to involve a lot of New York legalities and, since I am Californian, I may not get everything right! If I mess up on anything please let me know! XD  
> I'm going to try updating this and my stucky fic once a week! Thanks for reading! :3  
> Coming up, Chapter 2: Practice makes Perfect


	2. Practice makes Perfect

Steve could not sleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, he imagined Tony as his _boyfriend_ and his mind immediately imagined what they would do if it were true…He was hard as a rock within the first five minutes of laying down and he refused to touch himself as it reminded him of Tyler.

So he rolled around aroused and restlessly with his hips involuntarily humping the air, looking for relief. He knew most of the images and actions his mind supplied would never happen but the ones he knew possible made his cock twitch. Namely, that they were probably going to kiss.

He always wondered what it’d be like to kiss Tony. Would their kiss be wild as the man delivering it or would it be soft, revealing the tender person beneath the tough exterior? Would his lips be soft? Or would they be itchy because of Tony’s facial hair? Would Tony smile into his mouth like he always did whenever he accomplished something amazing or, better yet, would he just keep kissing him? How far would they go?

“It’s fake, Rogers,” Steve reminded himself. He and Tony may kiss a few times for the cameras but that was going to be the extent of their relationship. After the trial was over, they would fall back into their roles as friends and pretend this never happened. The thought certainly put a damper on his hard on.

Knowing it was fake was upsetting but he considered himself lucky getting the chance to live out his fantasy, even if it was just kisses… He felt bad for deceiving Tony and he hoped it would not be too awkward of an experience for his friend…

Eventually, between thinking inappropriate and guilty thoughts, Steve decided to give up trying to sleep altogether. He slipped on a bathrobe and ventured to the communal kitchen for a late night snack.

And that was how Steve ran into Tony, wearing only his SHIELD regulation, flimsy bathrobe and boxer briefs, and was sporting a half hard cock caused by the very man standing before him.

“Tony,” Steve gasped and he remembered his body’s condition and quickly sat at the counter to hide it. Tony stood on the other side of the counter and was in the middle of making coffee. He too looked like he just rolled out of bed and was wearing flannel pajama bottoms and nothing else. Steve’s eyes were drawn to the glowing arc reactor in Tony’s chest then trailed down, taking in his defined muscles and the little trail of hair that disappeared into his waistband. Steve flushed and dropped his gaze before Tony noticed.

“Steve,” Tony replied to Steve’s exclamation of his name. “What are you doing up?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Steve replied breathlessly, trying to look nonchalant as he looked at his half naked friend.

Tony grinned and replied, “Me neither. Ever since I came up with this idea, the gears in my brain have been turning and I can’t stop thinking about it!”

Steve felt his mouth dry. Tony was thinking about them being together too? He gasped, “Really?”

Could he and Tony be thinking about the same thing? Could Tony..?

“We need to get this perfect!” Tony reasoned, “We can’t just announce we’re dating out of the blue! _No one will believe us_! So we have to get caught somehow!”

“Oh,” Steve whispered, crestfallen. It was silly of him to think Tony…Steve made himself push the idea out of his mind. This was all fake. Tony was doing this to help him.

Tony poured the coffee and wordlessly made a cup for Steve as well. He handed the mug to Steve from the other side of the counter and leaned on his end of the counter as he took a sip of his own coffee. Tony leaned onto his elbows as he tipped the mug for a taste but did not break eye contact with Steve.

Steve accepted the coffee with a grateful nod and asked, “So how are we going to get caught?”

“Well usually I’m caught because my sex tape gets leaked,” Tony began and Steve choked on his coffee. Tony knowingly grinned and said, “Yeah, I didn’t think that would be an option.”

As Steve was catching his breath with deep ragged gasps, his cock sprang back up with renewed attention.

Steve had stumbled upon one of the videos once and he watched it out of morbid curiosity. Thanks to the serum, he could remember every scene perfectly and he now imagined himself in the place of Tony’s partner. His cock throbbed – oh God – he would not be able to stand without Tony noticing.

Tony continued once Steve caught his breath and his coughing cleared. He said, “But we can’t be chaste either. We’re going to have to be affectionate. We’re going to have to touch, always be in each other’s personal space, and…kiss. If you don’t want to, you still have a chance to back out now…”

Steve shook his head and replied, “No, I knew what I was getting into. I’m prepared to kiss you.”

“Jeez, don’t make it sound like a difficult mission, Cap,” Tony teased, leaning in closer over the counter. He continued, “Alright, good to know we’re both onboard. Now, everyone already knows we’re best friends since we hang all the time. But once it gets out we’re dating then they’re going to put two-and-two together and assume we’ve been together longer and think our friendship was a cover for something deeper. So whenever we went to gala events together with no dates was actually because we were going with each other, comprendo?”

“It’ll back up the stable relationship,” Steve stated with a nod.

“Yes, we need to build a history…when should we have started dating?”

“When was the last time you slept with someone?” Steve played along and countered, “I don’t date anyone who is seeing other people.”

“Ohhh, true, my virtuous Captain…Hmmm, Jarvis?”

“Approximately two years, Sir,” the AI replied.

Steve’s eyes widened with surprise and he gasped, “Two years??”

“I’ve had a bit of a dry spell,” Tony shrugged glancing down at his mug.

Steve licked his lips and reevaluated everything he knew about the man before him. He asked, “Why so long?”

Tony shrugged and said, “New priorities, new interests…the Avengers became more important than getting laid. But enough about me! So ‘us’…we’ll say we started two years ago. How should it start?”

“Start?” Steve chuckled.

“Yeah, once it gets out everyone’s going to want to know who asked out who, etc. and they’re especially going to want to know how long you’ve been gay, Cap.”

“…All my life,” Steve replied with the truth and it surprisingly came out easier than he thought. After so many years of keeping it locked up, it left him as easily and as quickly as blinking. He flushed as soon as the words left his mouth but he kept his expression neutral.

“Going with my idea to explain why you haven’t been dating then, eh?” Tony grinned as he referred to their prior conversation.

Steve smirked and let Tony believe whatever he wanted. Steve said, “So I came out to you and then what, you swept me off my feet?”

“And into bed?” Tony added cheekily.

Steve flushed and said, “Jumping right into bed doesn’t sound like a good beginning to a ‘stable relationship’…”

“Fine, fine, I romanced you,” Tony stated.

“No, I romanced you,” Steve countered. “For our first date, I can envision dancing involved.”

It was Tony’s turn to flush as he imagined what Steve proposed and Tony murmured, “I can actually picture that. A dinner date on top of the Tower and then dancing in my lab.”

Steve grinned as he imagined the scene and said, “Great. So that’s our beginning. I always knew you were bi and when you were single I finally mucked up the courage to ask you out.”

“From there, it’s history,” Tony said with a smile and a warm gaze.

“ _Our_ history,” Steve clarified with a grin. This might just work.

Tony leaned in closer and joked in a whisper, “Yes, our romantic, erotic, secretive history.”

Steve tried to gulp but his throat was suddenly dry. Tony was close, close enough that he could kiss him. He was tempted to do just that and then explain after that he was practicing for later. He looked from his friend’s warm eyes then to his parted lips and faltered.

Steve leaned back and asked, “How are we going to let the secret slip?”

Tony sighed heavily and also leaned back. He murmured in a promise, “I’ll think of something…” He smirked and asked, “So back to dating? Have any embarrassing birthmarks in inappropriate places I should know about?”

Steve snorted and replied, No, you?”

Tony’s grin widened and said, “I have the most adorable little blemish on my right butt cheek.”

Steve cackled and tried to smother it. Tony laughed with him and then teased, “I am going to tell everyone how much you love it.”

“Oh God, please, no,” Steve smothered another chuckle. His erection had gone down but Steve was so enraptured by Tony he didn’t even notice. This easy communication between them was one of the reasons why Steve liked Tony so much. No matter the topic, if they were talking or even fighting, they flowed easily.

They mapped out their fake relationship the rest of the night. Deciding on what the milestones of their relationship would be and crafting it to be believable and, as Tony quoted, “boring enough” that even the skeptics would have trouble finding faults.

They shared a pot of coffee and laughter together and, by the way they looked at each other, no one would have questioned the validity of their relationship.

\---

The next morning came quickly, Steve had a meeting with Tony’s lawyers to go over what would happen if there was a possibility that this went to trial. Tony, of course, was going with him.

Tony did not get a wink of sleep but he was used to it and solved the problem quickly by chugging down a couple cups of coffee. Steve, on the other hand, also did not get much sleep and had dark bags forming under his eyes.

Originally, the lawyers were supposed to go to them but Tony decided this would be a perfect outing to be a “secret couple.”

Tony explained it all to Steve on the ride over.

“Like I said last night, we need to be in each other’s personal space and touching all the time,” Tony said and elaborated by grasping Steve’s hand. Steve jerked in surprise and his muscles tensed beneath Tony’s grasp.

“Isn’t holding hands just screaming we’re a couple?” Steve stated with wide eyes.

“Just giving an example,” Tony retorted. He let go of Steve’s hand and said, “I’m going to be more touchy-feely to make our relationship more believable later…unless you keep jerking about like I’m shocking you with electrodes…”

“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting it,” Steve replied bashfully.

“I’m just going to stand extra close to you today and touch you more than usual. Nothing more, so relax.”

Steve nodded but the flush still lingered in his cheeks. Tony eyed Steve and an unease began to gurgle in his stomach. Steve was clearly unnerved by his minor advances. Last night he said he was fine with this but now that it was actually going into motion was he having second thoughts?

Tony darkly mulled over it. Steve was born in an era that outlawed what they were going to portray and his own religion called it a sin… He may have adapted to the 21st Century but what if his old views didn’t truly die?

The rest of the car ride was quiet with both of them looking out their respective windows and keeping their thoughts to themselves.

His company’s law offices rented several rooms in a skyscraper near the Avengers’ Tower. They pulled into the private garage and Tony led the way to the entrance to the building.

They took the stairs to the lobby. Tony was huffing slightly by the top step but Steve was unaffected as always. Steve caught his eye and smiled knowingly at Tony as if he had read his mind at that moment.

Once in the busy lobby, Tony led Steve to the main desk to check in and walked closely to him, his hand brushing Steve’s multiple times. Everyone was staring them as they crossed the room. Tony counted at least three people sneaking pictures of them and he knew there definitely had to be more that he did not see.

“By the time we are done here, this place is going to be crawling with reporters,” Tony murmured to Steve.

Steve sighed heavily and whispered, “I’m dreading it already…”

Tony smirked at Steve and his friend mirrored the smile. Inwardly, Tony felt relieved. The awkward silence in the car ride was gone. They could do this.

He lightly touched Steve’s arm to guide Steve to the desk and kept his hand there longer than necessary but not too long to be too obvious.

The ladies behind the desk watched them approach with enraptured expressions. When they were close enough to talk to, one garbled, “H-Hello, Mr. Stark and C-Captain R-Rogers. How may we help you?”

“Going to see my lawyers, ladies,” Tony stated. There was a raised counter in front of their desk, on it was a cup of pens and the sign-in book. Tony grabbed one of the pens and quickly wrote out his name and sprawled his illegible signature beside it. Tony turned to Steve and smiled warmly at him. He leaned into him as he held out the pen and murmured, “Here, your turn.”

Steve took the pen and Tony noted that flush had returned to his cheeks. Originally, Tony was going to lean into his side as he signed his name but, upon seeing his discomfort, Tony forwent that plan. Instead, he stood by closely and watched as Steve wrote out his name and followed it with his name in perfect cursive.

Steve returned the pen to the cup and then looked questionably at the woman then to Tony. Tony looked to the women and raised his brows in question.

Both women blushed and they fumbled with the visitor badges. One of them finally managed and held the two plastic card out to them and said, “Have a good day.”

“Thank you,” Steve said as they both selected a badge.

The women had regarded them with shock until that moment. The one holding the badges twitched away from Steve when he took his and the other glared at him as if it were his fault. They regarded Steve with suspicion and Steve’s easygoing smile slipped off his face and was replaced by melancholy.

Tony was instantly frowning and glaring at both women.

“Let’s go, Steve,” Tony grumbled and placed his hand on Steve’s back to guide him away. Steve went compliantly, with his head drooped.

From there, he continued to lead Steve through the maze of corridors with touches to the small of his back, his arm, his elbow, his hand, and, once even to his ass which made Steve violently jerk and Tony almost laughed aloud. He bit down on his lip to smother the chuckle and Steve shot him an embarrassed glare like he had done it to mess with him on purpose.

But, with Steve’s glare, his friend’s melancholy disappeared. Tony grinned to himself from his success.

Tony’s fingers, however, tingled after touching his ass. Even though the touch was brief, Tony could feel the round firmness of the muscle beneath and he knew he had to touch it again.

In his lawyers’ office, they came across another check-in desk, however, they did not need to sign in again and were quickly ushered into a conference. They sat at the end of the table and huddled close together. Steve nervously strangled his fingers and stared at the sealed door with an unwavering and hard gaze.

“Hey,” Tony said, grasping Steve’s forearm. Steve twitched and then looked at him questionably, Steve’s gaze still stoic and uncertain. Tony murmured, “It’s all going to be alright, Steve. These guys are going to help us out.”

Steve bit down on his lip nervously and nodded. Tony squeezed his arm one last time before pulling away. He really wanted to keep touching him to provide any kind of physical comfort he could but he knew it would probably only distress Steve further.

The lawyers came in a few moments later. They welcomed them in a chorus of various greetings as they settled into the remaining

They quickly moved on and gave them a brief idea of what to expect if this went to trial.

Steve would be charged but would probably be released on bail but he would most likely be disallowed from leaving the state until end of trial. Press would increase exponentially and the reporters would be digging everything from his past to get a story out of him. Which led to them asking…

“Are you really in a stable relationship right now or was it all a ploy?”

Steve looked around the room with a hint of shock then leaned over to Tony and whispered, “I thought they drafted the statement?”

Tony whispered back, “Pepper did. They just reviewed and okayed it.”

“So they don’t…”

“We could tell them,” Tony said a little louder so the others would hear. His lawyers leaned in closer with obvious interest.

Steve flushed and whispered, “I thought we were keeping it a secret until…”

“Don’t worry, these guys can keep a secret, right?”

His lawyers exchanged fleeting glances then either nodded or verbally agreed in a quick chorus of voices.

Tony grinned and slipped his hand behind Steve’s neck and nestled his hand there and one of his fingers reached up and caressed the base of his hair. Steve stiffened for only a second then relaxed. To the lawyers, hopefully it would only look to be a twitch from surprise. Tony smiled warmly at him and Steve leaned into his touch and returned the smile.

Tony turned back to the lawyers and explained to the group of people before them, “I’m Steve’s dirty little secret.”

“You two are..?”

“Together? Yes, have been for two years,” Tony lied with ease.

His usually expressionless lawyers all shared looks of shock and extreme bafflement before fixing their faces back to their neutral expressions.

“We want to keep this on the Down Low,” Tony stated. “We don’t know how the American public would react if Steve came out.”

“We also don’t want the paparazzi to pry at our relationship. It’s private,” Steve finally spoke up and Tony sighed in relief. If he was the only one talking it would have caused some doubt. Steve even reached out and squeezed his hand affectionately. Tony smiled at Steve and, from the corner of his eye, he saw some disbelievers waver.

“Can we keep it quiet?” Tony elaborated to the people before him.

His lawyers exchanged glances then their leader stated, “We will do the best of our abilities to do so but it will probably come out during the trial. People will want to know. If you are questioned on the stand about it, you cannot lie.”

Steve sighed and said, “Thank you…I understand. Hopefully the trial does not happen.”

The lawyers left not long after, only staying to exchange a few more words and then left them alone. As soon as the doors sealed them inside, Tony reluctantly pulled away from Steve.

“I thought we were keeping this a secret,” Steve murmured.

“We are but it would seem odd if my lawyers floundered, not knowing what to do when this gets out. They need to look prepared like they always knew we were together…plus they’re not going to keep their mouths shut about this, it’s too juicy. They’ll talk about it with their spouses or family who will in turn talk about it with others…”

Steve nodded and said, “Sorry for jumping there. I wasn’t expecting it.”

Tony grinned and joked, “We’ll just have to get some practice in before the big reveal.”

Steve nodded again but this time with a flush spreading across his face.

Tony frowned at the flush. What was going through Steve’s mind? Tony tried not to openly stare but he stared at him from the corner of his eye. Steve’s flush may have revealed his discomfort but Tony reluctantly admitted to himself that he liked the way it looked on his friend’s pale skin and it made his eyes appear bluer.

It made Tony want to touch him all the more and not just for show. He wanted to claim the man before him and let everybody know that Steve Rogers had let Tony touch him where no other in this century had ever touched.

This was bad. Tony had barely touched him and hadn’t even kissed the man yet. He already wanted to consume him.

“Have you figured out what we are doing for the reveal, by the way?” Steve questioned, innocent to the thoughts going through Tony’s mind.

Tony smirked at the irony and replied, “What I’m thinking of is going to need to be believable and unquestionably shows we are together.” Tony paused to let Steve speak but when the Super Soldier did not say anything, Tony continued, “We are going to kiss and we are going to look like we mean it.”

“…Oh,” Steve whispered, his flush growing.

“…I think we’re going to need to get a little practice in before we go through with the plan…You-ah-you’ve been twitching a lot, we can’t have the paparazzi catch that on camera or no one would believe us,” Tony said and he felt a flush grow on his own cheeks. He frowned it wasn’t like Steve was his first crush.

Why was this effecting him so?

“Okay,” Steve murmured and the sound of his voice drew Tony’s eyes back to him. He was captured by Steve’s sky blue eyes and drowned in their depths.

Oh, yeah, that’s why. He’s crazy about Steve.

The man was perfect in all ways but one: he was not really with Tony.

\---

They returned to the Tower in silence.

Tony said they had needed practice but he made no more moves to touch him. Steve was nervous. All day he had surprised by Tony’s touches, not yet ready for the charade, and now because of their folly Tony wanted to…to practice?

The car ride back was aggravating. Steve kept expecting Tony to reach out and grab his hand again but the other man never did. Steve, meanwhile, had been a force of adrenaline. He always dreamed of being touched by Tony and now he had the chance…but nothing was happening.

Tony had a faraway look on his face as they drove and seemed to have forgotten Steve was there in the car with him.

When they parked in the garage under the Tower and far away from the reporters camped out outside, Steve leaned toward him and asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Hmm?” Tony looked at him then blinked rapidly as if his mind was catching up to his body. He stared at Steve for a moment, then asked, “Are you sure there is no one, Steve? Do you really want to do this with me? And not just the kissing…the fake relationship even?”

Steve’s heart sank and he tried not to let it show. Tony was trying to back out.

Steve cleared his throat and whispered, “I don’t mind…do you?”

Tony’s mouth twitched into a half smile and he replied, “Not at all.”

Steve did not feel rectified upon his answer and shame trickled into his chest. All this time he’d been thinking about himself and how great it would be to finally touch Tony the ways he always wanted. He never considered how weird it must be to his friend… Yes, Tony was bi but…Steve was his friend. Being anything more than that must be strange to Tony.

Tony’s eyes flashed with understanding as if he could read Steve’s mind. His gaze dropped and he said, “Well alright then…Unless you want to get that practice in right now, I guess we can move on and can check out the new articles for today, see where public opinion –.”

“Yes,” Steve gasped before Tony’s words really registered in his mind.

Tony’s brows pinched in confusion and he asked, “Yes?”

“I – well- I mean…pra-practice?” Steve stated dumbly. He blushed again as Tony’s eyes widened.

No, no, no, no! Why did he say that?? Tony was probably joking about practicing!! He was just thinking about how mortified Tony must have been but then there he was forcing him into a situation Tony only teased about happening! Steve tried to brush it away and smirked awkwardly at Tony. The older man was staring at him with a blank expression and Steve laughed nervously and said, “Never mind, it was just a—.”

Tony placed his hand on Steve’s thigh and the words dwindled in his throat as he stared at his friend’s voracious gaze. Steve instantly felt caught by it and gulped.

Tony’s hand squeezed his thigh and he whispered, “I would very much like to get some practicing in. Right now is fine by me.”

Steve stared at his lips and stuttered, “I-I…Y-yes, al-lright. Now.”

\---

Steve followed Tony to his lab and let the older man lead him there by holding his hand. He felt like he was thrust into a dream.

Was this really happening?

Tony had agreed to practice touching him. What would it entail? And how intimate would it get?

Upon entering the lab, Tony slipped from Steve and fretfully fluttered about. He shooed away Dummy, cleared off the couch, and commanded Jarvis to play some music.

“Is it alright? We don’t have to have anything playing…It sounds dateish. Jarvis, stop playing the music. Sorry, Steve, I just want to help make you feel more relaxed…I know this is really – really –…”

“Weird,” Steve supplied him with a word.

“Yeah…that,” Tony said and they stared at each other, a loss for words.

“So….the couch,” Steve said, nodding to the very piece of furniture.

“Yes! Um…yes,” Tony said and sat down on the couch in a snap.

Steve slowly closed the distance between them and sat beside his friend. They stared at each other and silence began to fester again.

“Before we begin…Do you just want to decide now what we do so we don’t surprise each other? Maybe lay down some ground rules?” Tony suggested.

Steve shifted uncomfortably and wondered how best to phrase he was fine with absolutely _everything_. He was so tempted to pinch himself. Was this really happening? He felt like he was acting out one of his personal fantasies. He shrugged and said, “Um, I’ll just follow your lead? I’ll stop you if it gets too…weird.”

“Nothing too weird…got it,” Tony replied, his eyes focused on Steve’s mouth. His gaze flickered up and he asked, “So…Can we start now?”

Steve licked his lips, conscious of Tony’s eyes on his mouth, and hoarsely said, “Now’s good…”

Tony nodded and his eyes traveled down, starting at Steve’s lips then slowly traversed the rest of his body. They weren’t touching yet but Tony’s leg was close enough that he could feel the heat coming off him. Steve was so tempted to lean further into him but he restrained himself.

Tony slid off his jacket and moved with ease. He was wearing one of his designer suits with his buttoned-down shirt was too thick to see his reactor’s glow. He was not wearing a tie and the top few buttons were undone to give Steve a glimpse of his throat.

Steve was just wearing his nice buttoned-down shirts and regular slacks. He nervously played with the top button on his throat as he watched Tony.

Tony paused again to stare at him and Steve wondered if he was having second thoughts.

“Give me your hand,” Tony whispered, breaking the silence.

Steve was a little thrown off by the request. He expected to go right to kissing. Handholding was so…innocent. But then again Steve was flinching at the simplest of touches…He flushed maybe this practice was not going to be the raging make out session he was imagining it to be.

Tony had his hand open and waiting and Steve regarded it a moment before sliding his hand into Tony’s. Tony’s palm was warm and calloused from all the work he had done in the lab over the years. His fingers curled around Steve’s hand then, one by one he carded his fingers between Steve’s. Tony’s thumb, however, began to caress circles into Steve’s palm. The caress tickled and made him shiver.

“How does that feel?” Tony asked.

“Good,” Steve whispered truthfully and relaxed into the humble caress. It was so relaxing that he did not notice leaning into Tony’s side so he could have easier access to Steve’s hand.

Tony’s other hand reached up and lightly grazed the side of Steve’s neck before settling at its back. His fingers played with Steve’s hair again and Steve tensed automatically at the intimate gesture. He wasn’t used to _anyone_ touching him like this, nonetheless Tony.

“Relax, Steve,” Tony whispered, his warm breath caressing the side of his neck. His hazel eyes bore into his gaze as Tony implored, “Touch me. Don’t make me do all the work.

Steve gulped and did as his friend commanded. He kept his one hand in Tony’s so he could keep caressing his palm but Steve started to move his thumb too. He could not caress Tony’s palm because his thumb was in the way so he caressed the small patch of skin between his thumb and pointer finger.

With his other hand, he tentatively ran his fingertips over Tony’s arm, starting where his hand lay at the base of Steve’s neck and making his way to his friend’s shoulder. Beneath the long-sleeved shirt, Tony’s muscles were smaller than Steve’s but were hard with untold strength. Steve paused at his shoulder, not sure where to continue, until Tony leaned his head down and put his cheek in Steve’s hand.

Steve jumped at the chance to explore the groves and textures of Tony’s face. While cupping his face, he rubbed his fingers repeatedly over the skin and felt his heart beat quickly beneath the skin. Tony closed his eyes and shuddered as Steve ran his fingers through his hair. Steve froze, shocked by the shudder, and Tony whispered, “No, no don’t stop. That felt _good_.”

Steve’s heart rate picked up and he leaned in closer as he ran his fingers along Tony’s scalp. He kept at it for a couple of minutes and Tony’s hand left the back of his neck and began to do the same to Steve's hair. Steve did not think it was possible but he had to bite back a moan under the touch.

His hand returned to cup Tony’s face and Tony leaned into it and lightly kissed the side of Steve’s hand. His lips were wet and left an imprint onto Steve's flesh. Steve’s cock twitched and he froze.

Fear spiked into his heart. He could not let Tony know this turned him on!

Tony felt Steve freeze underneath his touch and he smiled sadly at him and pulled back from Steve’s hand and he apologized for the kiss by whispering, “Sorry…”

“No, don’t be – I – Well, I forgot about that…” The cuddling was so nice and relaxing that the kiss jarred him back into reality. He had forgotten why they were there and got lost in the moment. Steve mumbled. “… I – Sorry.”

They smiled at each other bashfully then Tony suggested, “Why don’t we get a little closer?”

“Okay,” Steve murmured and let Tony pull him closer while at the same time trying to hide the fact that he was getting hard from that single, chaste kiss. If that did not proclaim his true feelings to the man he did not know what else could other than saying them aloud!

Tony moved them so they were leaning into each other, hip to hip. He draped an arm across Steve's back and rested a hand on his shoulder. Steve did the same and found his face only inches from Tony’s. They exhaled at the same time and their warm breaths intermingled between them.

Steve gulped as he imagined kissing this man. It would be so easy to do and, days prior, it was have only been a dirty secret but now it was a possibility. Steve gulped again as he corrected himself. No it was not a possibility. It was a certainty. Tony wanted to have the paparazzi catch them in a kiss. It was going to happen. The only question was…When?

Tony placed his hand on Steve’s thigh and Steve jerked in surprise but he did not freeze.

He relaxed then smiled goofily at Tony.

He opened his mouth to explain but stopped himself. He almost told Tony how stupid Steve was being. By stating this, this would have led to Steve having to explain that Steve had always yearned for this moment so the bashfulness was just ridiculous. But he couldn't tell Tony. He couldn't let him know his secret.

Steve leaned forward and nuzzled his face into the crook of Tony’s throat. This time it was Tony who twitched but he too relaxed. He wound his arms around Steve and his hands kneaded into the muscles of Steve’s back.

“Kiss me right there,” Tony murmured, his lips already kissing the top of Steve’s head. Steve could just barely feel his lips through his course hair but he could still make out their caress and light nibbling. It made Steve dizzy to know that Tony was doing that to Steve.

So this was Tony’s touch.

Steve lightly grasped Tony’s side and pulled him closer before answering his friend’s request and lightly touching his lips to Tony's neck. In response, Tony made a moaning noise in his throat that made Steve’s toes curl.

Encouraged, Steve became bolder with his mouth and opened his mouth wider to knead the muscles beneath the flesh with his lips and better taste him. Tony's skin had just a hint of the bitter aftershave he used that morning but underneath that he was salty goodness that filled his mouth and coated his tongue.

“Leave a mark,” Tony gasped. His fingers carded Steve’s hair, encouraging him on. Steve did as Tony commanded and sucked at his neck. A groan broke free from Tony’s throat and Steve’s cock throbbed at the sound.

He trailed his kisses up further. He nibbled along his jawline, his scruff tickled and irritated his lips at the same time.

When he reached his chin, however, Steve paused. His lips hovered over Tony’s with only an infinitesimal amount of space between them. His breath was escaping him in shallow pants as he stared at his mouth. So close. How many times had Steve dreamed of this?

He gulped and his eyes flicked up to Tony’s.

“You waiting for an invitation?” Tony murmured, his eyes hooded and dark.

Steve inhaled sharply and then looked back down at those lips. Open, ready, and willing. There was really no valid excuse for him not to do it so he took the plunge and separated the distance between them.

Tony gasped when their lips met as if he were not expecting it. Yet, not a moment later, he hummed encouragingly and dug his fingers into Steve’s scalp to draw him in closer.

Tony’s kiss was nothing like Steve had expected. He had kissed a few dames during the war and they were usually stolen from Steve as the women jumped on him unsuspectingly. Whenever he had imagined a kiss, it was usually just a quick warm peck.

Tony’s kiss was anything but that.

Tony lips did not pull away and were trying to smother him and consume him all at once. Both of them could barely breathe and had to gasp sharply whenever their mouths separated just enough to let some air come between them. Tony opened his mouth to him and his tongue plunged into Steve’s mouth to claim it as his own. Steve was beginning to slide down the couch and soon found himself laying on his back. Tony’s chest was pressed into his and his knees stapled his hips. He did not mind in the least. He liked the feel of Tony on him as he raged his assault on Steve’s mouth.

Tony’s hands were running up and down his sides and methodically cupping his ass with appreciative hands. Steve’s hands were everywhere. Cupping Tony’s face closer to his, sliding down his torso, and pulling his body up to meet Steve’s.

Everything was much more amazing then he’d ever imagine it. His fantasy paled in comparison to the real man, moaning sinfully above him.

He was jerked back into reality when he accidentally got too close and rubbed his erection into Tony’s inner thigh. The sensation rocked Steve right to the bone. It felt amazing but it also revealed to Tony that Steve was turned on.

It showed Tony Steve was not just practicing, he was enjoying it.

Steve pushed Tony away, shot himself back, and nearly jumped off the couch. Tony lay where Steve had pushed him with a stunned expression on his face.

“S-Sorry,” Steve garbled, wiping spittle from his mouth. He blushed deeply as he wondered whose spittle it was. He ran his tongue over the back of his teeth, guiltily enjoying the new taste to his mouth.

Tony was still staring at him with a shocked expression. Steve groaned internally. He let this go too far. Tony had asked Steve to tell him to stop if things got too weird but Steve did not give him the same courtesy. Tony must be creeped out.

Did he feel Steve’s erection? Steve crossed his legs and his genitals felt like they were being crushed between two ton weights.

“Oh, no, man, don’t do that,” Tony gasped, sitting up. His eyes were focus on Steve’s waist with a pained expression. He gasped, “It’s human, Steve, don’t torture yourself.”

Steve looked down at Tony’s waist and was surprised to see he too was aroused. Feeling a little better, he uncrossed his legs and let out a relieved sigh. It _was_ a good kiss. Steve whispered again, “I’m sorry. We went way too far.”

“We – We – yeah. It’s not…I’m sorry too…” Tony looked grimly at his lap and his eye flickered with an unknown emotion. “…We certainly can have a very convincing make out session,” Tony joked. Steve chuckled nervously but then silence fell between them and Steve looked worriedly down at his lap.

_They went too far._

Steve knew Tony used to sleep around with both men and women but in the last two years he had _no one_. He’d clearly changed his ways and stepping out with Steve must have been too weird.

After that, Tony had to be thinking of backing out, Steve knew it. Was it too late? Only the lawyers knew and they hadn’t even told the rest of the Avengers yet. They could pretend this never happened and find him someone else to be in a fake relationship with.

“You can still back out,” Steve whispered.

He felt more than saw Tony’s entire body jerk in reaction to his statement. Steve glanced at him and, for a few seconds, clearly saw the unmistakable hurt in Tony’s eyes before his friend hid it. Before Steve could even consider what that meant, Tony tapped the cushion beside him, signaling for Steve to return his side. Steve cautiously slid back to him and stopped just short of touching him.

“…Steve, there’s no backing out now. I’m marked and everything,” Tony teased, touching the spot on his neck where Steve’s hickey was already beginning to form. Tony was grinning at him like this was all a big joke and whatever hurt was there was successfully masked by his humor. He clearly was uncomfortable but was staying strong for Steve and Steve instantly felt like even more of an ass.

Steve’s eyes fell on the mark and knew he shouldn’t but he could not help but he aroused by it. He peered at it possessively and licked his lips as he remembered the salty tang of Tony’s skin.

\---

Tony near about came in his jeans and, in the process, freaking scarred Steve for life.

The desolate shame in his friend’s eyes was answer enough how he felt about this whole situation…but Tony _had_ _loved_ _it_.

But the way Steve responded to him was such a turn on and the feel of that ass – _Tony had died and gone to heaven_.

Tony ran away to the bathroom as soon as he was able and stuck his head under the faucet. All he wanted to do was touch himself to release the pressure in his cock but every time he closed his eyes all he saw was the horror in Steve’s eyes and it made him nauseous.

Tony never really considered Steve would be affected so emotionally and – _God_ _forgive_ _him_ —physically. Steve’s body wanted him but his mind clearly did not.

What else was he to expect from a man born in an era where such things were outlawed? And Steve kept asking if he wanted to back out and Tony kept saying no…He probably just wanted Tony to back out so Steve didn’t have to hurt his feelings.

“Fuck,” Tony moaned under the water. Too late now for him not getting hurt! Steve was worse than alcohol. Tony just wanted to go back and suck him dry.

Steve Rogers was going to be the death of him.

Tony stepped away from the sink and ran his hands through his hair. He could not help but remember Steve’s fingers massaging his scalp and he shuddered.

He was so screwed.

Tony ventured back into his lab and asked, “Are you decent?”

Steve’s face went as red as a balloon and he stuttered an incomprehensible reply.

“Joking, Cap. That was a poor excuse of a joke,” Tony replied with a sigh.

His eyes flickered to Steve’s waist and saw the telltale bulge was still there. Tony was tempted to adjust the same bulge in his jeans but he did not want to draw attention to it.

Tony crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the counter directly across from Steve. The blush faded from Steve’s face and he looked questionably at Tony.

“The DNA test you took today will take a few days to process. We both know it is going to come back positive,” Tony stated seriously.

Steve’s mouth sealed into a grim line and he nodded.

“If we want this to work, we need to come out before the DNA results. If we do it after then a good number of people will think it’s a ploy…Are you okay to do another make out session sometime in the next couple of days?”

Steve flushed and gulped then nodded.

Tony looked down guiltily and murmured, “Okay…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued...Chapter 3: The Big Reveal (in more ways than one)


	3. The Big Reveal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the awesome comments! You guys are amazing! :D

They left the Tower the very next day.

Pepper handled the press for them and told them the Avengers needed to escape the craziness of the city. As Steve drove, from the passenger seat Tony laid out their plan to the entire team and explained that they needed to be somewhere with laxer security. Everybody listened quietly until the end and Steve braced himself for questions.

Clint was the first to speak up, “Oh my God, Tony, is that hickey..?”

“American Made? Hell yeah,” Tony replied with a smirk and Steve ducked his head to hide his automatic blush. Ever since yesterday, every time he looked at it, he remembered how it got there and it seemed a flush instantly stained his face.

“You two are courting now?” Thor asked, somewhat confused.

“It’s fake,” Steve said. His eyes glanced at the mirror to meet his friend’s eyes for a moment and he explained, “To help me out in trial. Public opinion of me will be greater if I’m in a relationship. They’re more likely to believe that I didn’t do it.”

“ _Fake_?” Both Natasha and Bruce gasped for clarification simultaneously. They both looked at each other and then Natasha looked at Steve and Bruce looked at Tony.

Natasha was the one who trained him in SHIELD and knew _all_ of his dirty secrets. She knew about the monster of a crush Steve harbored toward Tony. Steve tried to tell Natasha everything with one look and her responding expression was for him to provide actual answers pronto. He nodded but kept his mouth shut, indicating they were going to talk in private.

Bruce and Tony seemed to be having a similar silent conversation except Bruce wore one, very readable expression that could be promptly read as: “Are you shitting with me?” Tony’s answering, haughty expression was “Shut up! _I’m a genius_!”

Clint chuckled and murmured, “Oh man, this is going to be good!”

“Midgardians live by such odd standards,” Thor murmured, shaking his head in confusion.

Tony took them to his mansion. It was nicknamed the Avengers’ Mansion by the locals because it was where the team usually went to unwind. It was still in New York City but the building was not a regular house by any means. It was three stories high and was the size of a city block. It was not near the hustle and bustle of the city center but it was close enough that Steve doubted the paparazzi would not stay away.

As they were pulling into the garage, Steve spotted a few paparazzi catching a few pictures of their car pulling in.

They emptied out of the car and Tony announced, “Alright, everyone, you know the drill! Pick a room, any room! Jarvis is here too so if you need any help with anything just ask him! We should only be here until Steve and I are discovered so expect only a few days at the most!”

The Avengers murmured their confirmations then shouldered their away bags and slipped into the mansion. Steve made it over the threshold before Natasha got a hold of him and dragged him in the opposite direction the rest of the team was going.

“ _Nat_!” Steve gasped, “I can walk myself! No need to pull!”

She let go of his collar and demanded, “What the hell is going on? _You and Stark_? _Faking it_??”

“I know,” Steve groaned. “It was Tony’s idea…I think he’s regretting it already.”

“By the look of that mark on his neck and the stupid grin he’s wearing, I really doubt he is,” Natasha reasoned.

“Nat –,” Steve began.

“I’ve been telling you for years to ask him out.”

“I know but –,” Steve started to say.

“Why does it have to be fake? Tell him how you really feel,” she pushed.

Steve shook his head and said, “You didn’t see his face after I…I kissed him. He looked so shocked. I think he suspects I was more than practicing and was creeped out…”

“…Stark? Creeped out? After kissing _you_?”

Steve nodded again and looked at his feet shamefully.

Natasha shook her head and murmured, “I’m going to look into this. I don’t believe you. Your intel must be skewed because of your connection to all of this.”

Steve winced and said, “Please, don’t let Tony know. You can do all the digging you want just…just keep quiet about it…”

“Of course, Cap,” Natasha promised, lightly punching his arm. “Consider it airtight.”

\---

“A fake relationship with a man you coined ‘Stars, Spangles, and Sex?’” Bruce stated as soon as they were alone.

“I knowww,” Tony groaned.

“Don’t forget the name: ‘Captain Glorious Ass.’”

“Fuck Bruce, I touched it and it’s even more glorious than I imagined!”

“My favorite was ‘America the Beautiful.’”

“It’s one of our nation’s songs I can’t claim it for my own,” Tony retorted.

Bruce gave him a look and said, “Tony…”

“Bruce,” Tony countered with the same level tone.

“You are crazy about him. There’s no way you can fake it. You’re going to fall for him and when it ends you’re going to come crawling back to me again and I’m going to have to mend the pieces.”

Tony shook his head and murmured, “I know it’s not going to work, Bruce. I mean…we practiced yesterday, _you know to look convincing_ , and he freaked out. He’s as straight as a pole and he’s only doing this because I told him it was his best bet.”

“Oh…” Bruce sighed sadly for him. They shared a silence as Bruce struggled to find words to comfort him. Eventually, Bruce lightly grasped his arm and asked, “You wanna go blow something up?”

Tony grinned sadly and said, “You’re a man after my own heart.”

Tony dragged Bruce to the mansion’s labs and it took them less than an hour to make an explosion large enough to shake the building. The rest of the team came running but, instead of finding destruction, they found Tony and Bruce piled together on the floor laughing.

Steve offered a hand to Tony and smiled as he asked, “Are you guys alright?”

Tony gave him his hand and chuckled, “Oh yeah, more than alright. Big explosions are always the best!”

Steve pulled him up to his feet and Tony stumbled forward into him. They leaned into each other’s chests for a moment and then exchanged bashful smiles as they separated.

“Since you’ve gotten your explosion quota in for the day do you two want to join the rest of us for lunch? We’re barbecuing.”

“In the backyard, in full view of the surrounding buildings?” Tony asked to get his point across about the possibility of paparazzi. Steve nodded, flushing slightly. Tony’s heart constricted as he saw the flush but he pretended not to notice Steve’s aversion and turned to the others as he said, “Alright, let’s eat!”

\---

Steve was the team’s BBQ master. There was no question who was put in charge of the grill. Anyone else would have burnt the meat or undercooked it. Steve considered the grill his property and no one on the team disputed it, not even Tony.

It was a hot day and everyone unanimously decided to change into swimsuits to make full use of the pool and spa. As Steve cooked, the others played. He too was wearing swim trunks but he wore a full body apron to protect him from the grease. The apron was something as a joke Tony had bought for him last Christmas. It was made to make it look like whoever wore it was wearing a Captain America uniform and had defined muscles. Yet, on Steve’s massive form it looked absolutely ridiculous and it always brought a smirk to his lips whenever he saw his reflection.

From where he stood at the grill, he watched his friends splash around in the pool laughing and releasing excess energy. It was so ideal that Steve could almost pretend the charges against him were not really there and Susan Tyler did not exist.

“Hey, Cap.” Tony walked up to him, wiping his wet hair out of his face. He was soaking wet and his face was flushed from doing a number a cannonballs into the water. He wore bright red swim trunks that were so small and tight they might as well have been speedos. Steve tried to look anywhere but the swim trunks as his friend took up position beside him.

Tony draped his arm across the small of Steve’s back and lightly placed his hand on his hip. Steve’s jumpy reactions were getting better and the arm holding the spatula merely twitched a tiny fraction. Steve let himself lean into Tony and the perfect fantasy world around him was complete.

There was a good possibility that someone could be spying on them in one of the surrounding buildings but…

“Tony, I can’t do anything right now, the meat’s cooking,” Steve explained, motioning to the said product with his spatula.

“Not even one little kiss?” Tony pouted.

Steve smirked at his friend’s acting ability. Had they really been dating he could see Tony doing something like this. Steve looked over his meat patties and sighed, “Just one.”

Tony grinned victoriously and grabbed Steve by the scruff of his apron and dragged him down. Tony’s lips met his and…oh. It was different. It was…nice. It was not like the passionate kiss they had shared prior. This kiss was gentle and soft. Tony cradled the side of Steve’s face with one hand and gently kissed his lips, lapping at them like a cat drinking water.

Steve could have pulled away, instead, he leaned in and returned the kiss, mirroring Tony’s lazy caress. Tony wrapped a hand around Steve’s back to keep his balance and Steve also wound his arm around him but only to draw him closer.

“My dear Captain,” Tony purred when they finally broke away to breathe. “I thought you had to cook?”

Steve blanched and his nose picked up on a burning scent. He gasped, “The meat!”

Steve shot away from Tony laughed as Steve scrambled to save their lunch and his title as grill king.

\---

Tony helped in the cleanup which was a sign to the others that something was off.

Steve was the cook so he did not have to clean and was currently poolside on a lounge chair. Tony kept glancing in his direction as if he was expecting Steve to bolt.

“You’re going to do ‘the thing’ aren’t you?” Clint asked, squinting between Steve and Tony.

“If you mean have an amazing make out session, then yes,” Tony replied dryly.

“Oh please wait until I am back inside. I don’t think my eyes can take the stress,” Clint groaned.

“Ass,” Tony retorted with a smirk.

“Did Jarvis scan the area?” Natasha asked and Tony frowned.

“Yes, he got no obvious readings _but_ they still are there,” Tony reasoned. “We always scanned for them in the past and they still managed to get pictures of us without our knowing.” During the summer months, the Avengers always came to the mansion to relax and the paparazzi constantly managed to get pictures of them in their swimsuits to sell to celebrity gossip magazines.

“But if they aren’t there then this will be all for nothing.”

Tony opened his mouth to tell her this was _not nothing_. But he slowly closed it. Everyone but Bruce saw Tony as only helping Steve out in a sort of performance. They were supposed to be acting and no actual feelings were supposed to be involved.

Tony just shrugged in answer to Natasha’s question and the woman’s eyes narrowed.

He glanced around the table and saw everything was picked up. Tony asked, “Are you all going in?”

“Yes,” Natasha answered for all of them and then grabbed Thor’s bicep and dragged him away before he got any odd Asgardian ideas. She and Thor were followed by Clint, who, in turn, was followed by Bruce. Bruce shot him a reassuring smile and a thumbs up when no one was looking. Tony nodded to him gratefully.

Tony waited for them to disappear into the building then he allowed himself to look back to Steve. The Super Soldier did not notice the others absence. His eyes were closed and he looked so relaxed he might have been sleeping.

Tony tiptoed over to him and paused at the foot of the lounge chair. A sudden realization presented itself to him. Yesterday, they had been fully clothed but now nearly all of Steve’s skin was laid out before him with only some flimsy swim trunks for modesty. Steve’s usual golden skin was near glowing in the sun, highlighting the perfection of his muscles with a reflective, white sheen. He breathed evenly and every time his expansive chest rose, his trunks lowered slightly and that little extra skin that was revealed each time hypnotized Tony.

With one look at this God stretched out before him, his dick instantly had blood pooling into it.

“Steve,” Tony whispered, afraid to speak any louder and disturb this painting of excellence.

Steve’s sky blue eyes flickered open and latched on Tony. He stared at Tony for a few seconds with a steady gaze and an unreadable expression.

“Now?” He whispered back, his clear eyes revealing nothing.

“If that’s alright with you?”

“…Yes,” Steve replied. He gulped and repeated, “Yes.”

Tony nodded then joined his friend on the longue chair. Steve scooted aside to make room for him but it was still a tight fit and Tony would snuggly fit between Steve’s thigh and the arm of the longue chair. Steve’s eyes were shifting around them nervously. He kept looking up at the buildings that circled the yard as if he expected to see the people watching them pop out at any moment.

“Hey,” Tony murmured, cupping the side of Steve’s face. He sat a knee in the place he would occupy at Steve’s side and murmured, “Pretend they’re not there and it’s just us, like last night.”

Steve flushed, his eyes downcast with shame, and murmured, “Last night, I-I...”

“It was practice and we learned from it,” Tony replied, when referring to Steve’s freak out at the end. He slipped his hand off Steve’s face. Thinking about Steve’s reaction, Tony chewed on his lip and then dropped his own eyes. He murmured, “Listen…when we are kissing…if it gets too weird, just imagine someone else.”

Steve’s eyes focused on him and Tony carefully met his gaze. Steve’s eyes were searching his, for what, Tony could only guess. Tony dropped his eyes, hoping not to give anything away.

He drew his other leg onto the lounge chair and slotted it between Steve’s legs. He heard Steve inhale sharply and Tony met his gaze. His eyes were wide and staring at Tony and only Tony. He was no longer looking for the photographers.

Was Steve seeing Tony or was he already imagining somebody else? The thought pinched at his chest but he brushed it away.

Tony lay beside Steve in the small space he provided between his body and the chair but kept his foot hooked in between his legs. The heat from Steve’s body burned into Tony’s flesh and made the rest of him feel cold. It would have been impossible to hide his half hard cock in such close quarters so Tony pressed it against Steve’s thigh.

He saw Steve’s eyes get a little wider and Tony’s heart constricted a little more. Oh, this was going to be tough. Maybe this was too soon. Maybe he should have given Steve a few days to recover.

“Yeah…Sorry about that. Think of it as a compliment. You’re hot and my body is letting you know it’s excited to be touching you,” Tony said with a cocky smile to disguise his fear. Was he pushing Steve too much? Was going to destroy their friendship in the end?

“…Ton –,” Steve began but Tony lightly ran his fingers along Steve’s abs and silenced the blond with the simple caress. Tony had been wanting to touch him there ever since he felt the muscles beneath the shirt. Steve shivered under the touch and Tony drew back his fingers.

Steve grabbed his hand as he was withdrawing it then slowly brought it up to his lips and closed his eyes as lightly kissed the center of Tony’s palm. He opened his eyes with Tony’s hand still connected to his mouth and Tony trembled under the heat of the other man’s gaze.

This was…unexpected.

Tony thought he would have to be the one leading but he gladly let Steve take the reins and relaxed into his side. He eyed him curiously, not knowing what else to expect.

Steve broke the kiss and drew Tony’s hand over his opposite shoulder and thereby drawing Tony closer to him. Tony stretched out over Steve and slowly hooked his leg around his hip. Leaving Tony straddling Steve and staring questioningly at him.

“Sit,” Steve commanded and Tony did automatically, as if he were following orders in battle. He moaned as his ass unexpectedly came into contact with Steve’s growing erection. He bit down on his lip and rubbed into it. God, he felt so good. How was he so hard already? …Who was he imagining?

“My body’s excited to be touching you too,” Steve gasped and he gripped Tony’s hips tightly as if to keep him there. Tony pushed down on Steve and his friend bit down on his lip to keep from groaning.

All on Tony’s worrying thoughts slammed on their brakes upon Steve’s words. He…He wasn’t imagining anyone? But Tony was a man! Steve couldn’t be this turned on already unless—!

Tony’s heart suddenly felt lighter and he grinned excitedly at Steve. He had to know so he asked, “Steve – don’t take this the wrong way but…how long has your body been like this? Please say you’ve always been bi and you’re body is not just reacting to sexual stimuli?”

Steve face went bright red and Tony knew he went too far. He rose slightly off his friend but Steve’s hold on his hips tightened and forced him to stay. Tony could not breathe for a few seconds without risking hearty groans from escaping. Steve’s cock was digging into his rectum, pressing into the soft flesh. It felt so good. Steve couldn’t know what torture he was putting Tony through!

“Tony…you used the incorrect term,” Steve murmured, his flush growing brighter. He cleared his throat and said, “I…I’m gay.”

Tony stilled but his mind raced with this new information about Steve. Suddenly, Tony’s sexual fantasies were no longer fantasies but possibilities. Tony, a self-proclaimed bisexual man, was sitting astride his gay best friend and they both had boners for each other. All his fears washed away and he smiled confidently at Steve. He no longer felt scared about destroying their friendship, in fact, he had some spectacular ideas on how to vastly improve it.

Tony teased, “Gay? Please tell me you have a giant dildo hidden under your bed. No, wait, _who_ have you been masturbating to? Was it an actor? A male model? Someone I know? What do you like most about a man? Are you an ass or abs guy? _Oh my God, have you ever been with a man before_? Who?? Steve! I can’t believe you never told me! I want all the inappropriate details!!”

Steve groaned, “ _And_ this is why I never told you…”

Steve finally released his hips to cover his face with his hands upon his groan. Tony did not try to pull away like he had earlier and even started to lightly rub himself onto Steve’s shaft, slowly enough so that his friend would not notice but with enough pressure to stimulate them both.

Tony smirked and pried one hand off Steve’s face and one blue eye blinked up at him. Tony said, “I’ve been freaking out ever since we started this. I thought you were straight and I was practically assaulting your sexuality…You can’t believe how relieved I am to know that at least you’re attracted to me.”

Steve’s other blue eye appeared as Steve slowly dropped his hands. Steve murmured, “I’m sorry…I didn’t realize. This – with you Tony – I’m fine with it. I’m obviously more than fine with it,” Steve added with a roll of his eyes as he waved in the direction of his erection. He smiled diminutively at Tony and said, “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. Promise to tell me if anything is bothering you, alright?”

Tony was tempted to blurt out right there that he was madly in love with him but he held his tongue. He gazed down at Steve, his cheeks still flushed from his confession and Tony’s questions. The fact that Steve never told him he was gay until that moment was what halted Tony’s confession.

Steve always knew Tony was bi. If he was interested in Tony he probably would have come out sooner and tried to pursue a romantic relationship…

Tony’s excitement deflated a little but he would not let it drag him down. He looked on the brighter side: Tony was willing and Steve was willing. This relationship they were going to portray was fake but it did not mean they could not have fun in the meantime.

Tony sat back down on Steve’s engorged cock and placed his hands on Steve’s chest, tweaking his nipples with his thumbs. Steve shuddered under his touch and Tony now knew it was from lust, not disgust. It sent a thrill of desire shooting down his spine and pulsated in his cock.

Tony leaned forward and finally replied, “What’s bothering me right now is all this talking. I want your lips on me right now, Cap.”

Steve gulped and his gaze took on such a serious nature that Tony could not help but remember the man beneath him was Captain America: his leader, the First Avenger, and a Super Soldier.

Steve whispered, “Yes, sir.”

“Ohhh yes, talk dirty to me,” Tony teased and swiftly separated the distance between their mouths.

This time things were vastly different. There was no hesitation. There was no nervousness or second guessing. It was just Tony and Steve. Even the fact that they were doing this to be captured didn’t register. Their hands moving where they wanted and their mouths trying to consume the others.

Connected to Steve in this way, Tony forgot why they were doing it. He did not even think of the possibility that someone might be watching and taking pictures. All that mattered was meeting Steve’s passion with his own.

They kept it PG-13 and the only action below the waist was by rubbing their hips into each other. Okay…Tony’s hands may have crept down a few times to squeeze Steve’s ass but – _hey_! Tony was only human! You’d have to be insane to ignore such a magnificent treasure!

Other than that, Tony did not push Steve any further because it had been what they discussed when they first planned: only touching and kissing. He also was not sure if Steve had really ever _been_ with a man…or a woman for that matter. The man never discussed relationships with him so, for all Tony knew, Steve was still a virgin. Even if this was just a fling to Steve, Tony wanted to treasure him and not take away something that was probably precious to him.

Eventually, his friend came undone in his arms by their kisses and thrusts alone. Steve shuddered against him and came with a gasping moan. Tony pulled back with a pleased smirk as Steve slowly resurfaced. Glassy blue eyes focused on Tony and his blush returned.

“That’s embarrassing,” Steve murmured, staring at the new wet spot on his trunks.

“That was _hot_ ,” Tony corrected him with a lecherous grin which made Steve’s flush deepen. Tony sat up, gritting his teeth as his own erection begged for release. He turned to Steve and suggested, “You probably want to jump in the pool to clean that off of you before it dries.”

Steve sat up and looked down at Tony’s tented trunks. Steve gulped, a sign Tony was starting to recognize as Steve’s desire and wanting something he shouldn’t. Steve tentatively asked, “D-Do you need help with that?”

Tony near about came at the question. Images flooded his mind of the various ways Steve could help Tony with his current predicament, the first involving Steve’s mouth and where exactly Tony wanted him to put it.

“No thank you, Steve,” Tony replied with a pained expression. He wanted it so much but he did not think he could hold back. He reasoned, “We don’t want to give the paparazzi a full show now, do we?”

Steve turned beet red and looked around at the buildings looking down at them. He gasped, “Do you think we were seen??”

“I hope so,” Tony replied and carefully stood, weary of his sensitive cock. He turned back to Steve with a smirk and said, “I hope they good quality too because I am so going to use them to masturbate to.”

Steve’s jaw dropped and if he possibly got any redder his head probably would have exploded.

Tony grinned knowingly at his friend and said, “Get in the pool, Steve.”

“Y-Yeah,” Steve stuttered and shakily stood. He strode over to the pool then dove in.

Tony went to the pool’s edge then eased himself on the stairs. He went down a few steps and sat down on one that was deep enough so his waist would be submerged. The water was heated but his cock was running hotter and the water felt colder there than on the rest of him.

He painfully groaned and he saw Steve’s head snap over in his direction and his eyes turned a darker blue.

Steve swam over to him, his muscles flexed with power and unyielding promise. His eyes were focused on him and were determined. His gaze sent a shuddering pulse of desire through Tony.

As he got closer, Steve was able touch the bottom of the pool so he strode the rest of the way to Tony. The water parted around him in robust ripples and dripped down body his body, tracing all the places Tony wanted his tongue to explore. His hair was damp and clung to his scalp closely and Tony wanted to muss the usually perfectly styled hair.

Steve’s intense gaze raked down his body and focused on where his hips were obscured beneath the water.

Steve gulped and Tony knew he was doomed.

“…It’s human, Tony, don’t torture yourself,” Steve used his own words against him and spun them in accordance to this current situation almost perfectly. He continued, “Let me help.”

“I’m close,” Tony reasoned. “It won’t do much for you.”

Steve’s eyes flashed, he quickly separated the distance between them, and he crowded Tony against the stairs. Steve whispered, “You have absolutely no idea what this will do to me and how much I want this.”

Before Tony could dissect his words, Steve fell upon him and water flowed away from him in all directions. Steve’s entire body was submerged up to his neck. Steve’s mouth was instantly on Tony’s stomach, tasting his skin and refining his muscles with tiny bites.

Tony groaned and carded his hands into Steve’s scalp. He thrust his hips into Steve’s chest, enjoying the additional friction. Steve eye’s look up to him and, from his position so close to Tony’s waist, Tony could easily imagine what Steve would look like sucking him off.

“God, yes,” Tony moaned. “I – _STEVE_ —!”

Steve grabbed Tony’s cock with one hand, cupping him from outside his trunks. Tony rutted into Steve’s hold and lost himself to absolute ecstasy. He felt his orgasm race through him, lighting up all the neurons in his brain, and setting off sensation all along the pathways of his nervous system. It took him only few gyrations to come into Steve’s hand but it was the most amazing sensation he had ever felt.

Tony threw back his head and closed his eyes as he moaned. They were both gasping for air. Tony’s legs wobbled and he slide down in Steve’s hold. Steve’s arms tightened around him, halting his sinking, and Steve lightly dropped his head upon Tony’s chest, right on top of his arc reactor. His breathing was hot and brushed against his nipple, making it pucker.

Tony peered down at Steve’s serene face with a small smile. There was a slight flush to the younger man’s cheeks and water still dripped from his hair. He was beautiful. He was perfect. And, better yet, he was in Tony’s arms after making him come with a guileless touch.

Water gently lapped at their bodies and sounded almost like the tinkling of bells. Their loud pants eventually slowed and became almost noiseless until all Tony could hear was the calm lapping of the water.

“That – _was_ _amazing_ ,” Tony whispered. He wrapped his arms around Steve and kissed the top of his head. He had literally died and gone to heaven. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought he’d experience anything like that!

Steve’s eyes flickered open and his eyelashes tickled Tony’s skin. His arms slid behind Tony’s back and he returned the embrace with a happy grin. He peered up at Tony and leaned against his chest, settling into him.

“So I think I liked that,” Tony concluded.

Steve chuckled and replied, “I never would have guessed.”

Tony smiled warmly at him and was already imagining kissing and touching him again. His addictive personality seemed to have latched onto Steve and he wanted to use him all up and keep coming back for more.

Tony observed, “No one is going to say this isn’t real! I can’t wait to see the pictures! Though I bet a few are going to be too naughty for daytime television,” Tony teased, cupped the back of his head, and rubbed the tip of his nose against Steve’s playfully.

Steve did not seem excited by the photos. In fact, as soon as Tony mentioned them his expression went blank and his hold on Tony lax. Steve’s smile slowly slid off his face and Tony’s grin mirrored the action and disappeared.

“…Steve?” He asked cautiously.

“I…I have to go,” Steve murmured, not meeting his eyes.

Steve escaped his hold and quickly strode up the stairs. Tony spun where he sat and asked again, “Steve??”

Steve faltered for only a second then shook his head and nearly ran back to the mansion. In the matter of seconds, all that was left of him were his wet footprints running away from Tony.

Tony stared at the door he had disappeared through and was at a loss for what had just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Ch. 4 Played for a Fool


	4. Played for a Fool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those of you I told I was posting it on Friday, SORRY! I had no time to edit it as I got home late last night and I had to work this morning! BUT here it is and it's July 4th so happy birthday America and Steve Rogers! :3

Steve was an absolute idiot.

He let himself get lost in his passion and forgot all about why he and Tony were kissing. He let himself believe that it was all about them, that when Tony told him his body was excited to touch him it was because he not only wanted Steve…but he wanted _to be_ _with_ Steve.

But it was all fake.

Tony was in this to help Steve and mess with the media. He might be attracted to Steve but he did not want to get into a serious relationship. This was all a part of the ploy for the cameras and Steve stupidly let himself believe otherwise.

Steve all but ran back to his bedroom and locked the door behind him. Without turning from the door, he started cursing to himself, “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.”

Why did he let it go so far??

They were supposed to just _convincingly_ kiss! Instead they acted out a low budget porno and made each other come! Steve lightly banged his head against the door and repeated, “Stupid!”

“What’s stupid?” Natasha asked from behind him.

Steve spun around and should not have felt so surprised to see she had jimmied the lock and slipped in while he was out.

“Nat? What are you..?”

“What’s stupid?” She elaborated from her place on his bed. She was leaning back on his headboard with her legs stretched out over the mattress.

Steve sighed heavily and replied, “Me. I am the biggest idiot out there…” He stepped away from the door and sat next to Natasha’s legs on the bed. She silently waited for him to elaborate and Steve carefully continued, “I let myself get overly involved with… our ‘make out session’…God, Natasha, who am I kidding? I loved it. And all he loved about it was fooling the paparazzi…”

“What did he say?” Natasha groaned.

“He just said he could not wait to see the pictures and that they’ll be totally believable…”

“He’s an idiot,” Natasha said, shaking her head and rolling of her eyes. “Is that really all he said?”

Steve flushed as he immediately remembered the offhand comment Tony had made prior to the other statement about using the same images to masturbate to. Natasha saw the blush and inquired, “Well..?”

“…He-He joked about masturbating to the pictures.”

“ _Masturbating_?”

“Yes, Natasha, _masturbating_ ,” Steve retorted, his flush growing redder. Blood pulsed to his dick at the very thought of Tony touching himself, nonetheless to the images of _them_ _together_. His stomach clenched with shame. He shouldn’t let himself become so excited by this.

“And how is that stupid?” Natasha demanded.

“Wha-?”

“I think if he’s masturbating to you then he is definitely attracted to you,” she stated.

“I don’t doubt that, Nat,” Steve retorted. Tony had made it abundantly clear that he liked Steve’s body. He flushed again as he remembered the feel of Tony’s erection pressed against him. Steve explained, “And that’s not why I am stupid. I’m stupid because, for a moment, I thought it could be more than just lust…”

Comprehension dawned in her eyes and Natasha leaned forward and lightly grasped his arm. She whispered, “It’s not stupid, it’s affection. It shows you care and there’s nothing stupid about that…”

Steve rubbed the back if his neck then smirked ironically at Natasha. He stated, “So in other words stop with the self-pity?”

Natasha mirrored his smirk and replied, “Exactly.” She leaned in and whispered, “Tony is Tony. He’s made a lot of stupid decisions in his life and he makes the stupid decision to not go for you…well then he’s just not worth it.”

Steve ran his thumb over his bottom lip and remembered the wondrous feeling of Tony’s lips on his then sadly replied, “Yeah…I know…”

\---

Tony expected their photos to pop up online within the hour. When they did not, he began to worry. However, they did not worry him half as much as Steve’s suddenly leaving him after giving him an _amazing_ hand job.

Why did he leave so suddenly? And, most importantly, _why had he looked so upset_?

Tony stewed over the questions as he trolled the internet. As he was looking for the photos, he was also making anonymous posts on websites about Steve’s case. He applauded the people who supported Steve and blasted the naysayers with negativity and an undeniable arguments in reply to their postings as to why they were wrong about Steve.

Tony had been lounging in the main room with his feet propped up on the coffee table and his laptop on his lap. He was still in his swim trunks but had slipped on some jeans and an AC/DC shirt. The suit had soaked into his jeans and made him mildly uncomfortable but he was able to easily ignore it.

Clint was the first to venture into the room, most likely to play a game on the TV’s entertainment system. The archer jolted to a stop when he saw him and grimaced as he murmured, “Oh God, I can see evidence. You have _more_ hickies. This is so weird. It’s like that moment when you find out your parents have had sex.”

“You consider us your parents?” Tony teased.

“Shut up. This team would be nothing without the two of you and you know it,” Clint grumbled as he stepped out of the doorway. He turned on the television and grabbed his game control and sat next to Tony. Clint spared his laptop screen a glance and asked, “Anything yet?”

“No and it’s really starting to bother me,” Tony murmured and hit refresh on his computer again. Could Tony have miscalculated? Did they move too fast? – _Wait_ – Was that why Steve bolted? Maybe _they_ went to fast? Steve said he was fine with kissing but they did _way_ more than that!

Steve chose that moment to enter the room. Their eyes met and Steve froze like a deer caught in the glare of oncoming headlights. He looked petrified and spun right around, practically fleeing the room.

“… _What the fuck_?” Tony hissed, perplexed beyond words. He thought Steve was fine with this?? What was going on??

“Did Mommy and Daddy have a fight?” Clint teased, elbowing Tony in the side.

Tony ignored Clint’s comment, snapped shut his laptop, and raced after Steve.

Yet as soon as he reached the doorway Steve had been standing in moments before, he ran into Natasha.

“Stark,” she commented dryly, stepping in his way. “Just the man I wanted to see.”

“Later, Nat,” he said, side-stepping her to get to Steve. She mirrored his footwork, staying in his way.

“Not later, now,” she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. She stated, “We talk this farce out and give Steve some space to calm down. It’s a win-win situation.”

“But –,” Tony began, trying to look over her shoulder. Damn the woman for practically being the same height as him! He could barely see over her head!

Natasha grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him back into the room. Clint muffled a snicker as she hauled him past the TV and to the door Clint had entered. Tony pushed at her hold but the woman was too strong for him.

“You could help!” Tony whined to the other man.

Clint grinned and waved his fingers as he said, “Good luck!”

“I’m taking away that gaming system!” Tony yelled in rebuttal as Natasha pulled him out of the room.

They went into the neighboring library and she let him go with a shove which he stumbled from. He adjusted his collar and glared at her.

“Nat, can we do this later? I need to talk to Steve right now.”

“No, you’re talking to me right now,” Natasha replied as she glared back.

“Fine! Make it quick. What do you want?”

Natasha stepped closer to him, getting into his personal space. Tony instantly felt uneasy but continued to meet his glare with hers.

“Anthony Edward Stark, if this is fake or real, I want you to swear to me right now that you are not going to treat Steve like one of those ditzy one-night-stands you usually hook up with. Because Steve is _not_ one of those people. When he is with someone, he’s with them 100%. You two might be ‘faking it’ but he’s still putting his heart on the line, so don’t you dare crush it.”

Tony was so taken aback by her declaration that he jerked back in surprise. His emotions ran wild as he replayed the statement “fake or real,” “100%,” and “heart on the line.” All of which alluded to something more and something amazing.

“ _Nat_ …” He gasped her name like a reverent prayer. Why was she saying this? Was it her or…or did she talk to Steve?

He assumed Steve was not interested in being more than his friend and that he was participating in this fake relationship to help out his case…Could he be wrong about Steve?

“Swear it, Stark,” she hissed. “If you hurt him, I’m going to beat you within an inch of your life. That man has been through a lot and you hurting him on top of the rape accusation will destroy him!”

Tony flinched, hating being associated with Tyler and her lies.

Tony clenched his fists and swore with every fiber of his being, “I would _never_ do that to Steve.”

Natasha continued to glare at him, but, after a minute, she stepped back with a satisfied smirk and nodded to him.

“Can I go after him now?” Tony asked with an edge of annoyance to his voice.

“No,” she retorted, putting her hands on her hips. “You are going to give him his space as he sorts this whole mess.”

“ _Nat_ –,” he groaned.

Natasha hit him with, “When you told him you wanted to masturbate to his photos, were you saying that only because you are attracted to his body and nothing more?”

Tony was a crass man but he still flushed upon the invasive question.

He gasped, “That’s none of your business.”

One of Natasha’s eyebrows rose a fraction and she said, “So this is only a nice fuck.”

Tony was instantly enraged and he hissed, “ _It is more than that_!”

Natasha smirked and said, “Good.”

She spun around on the balls of her feet and left Tony. Tony watched her go with both surprise and confusion.

What was that?

…Did he just inadvertently tell her he was interested in Steve?

Fuck…She was good.

…Steve told her about him wanting to masturbate to the photos. That was the only way she could have known. So was Natasha being protective of her friend or…was Steve interested in making this fake relationship…real?

\---

The rest of the day, Steve awkwardly avoided Tony. He saw the hurt and confusion whenever he caught Tony’s gaze and felt immensely guilty for it. He knew Tony wanted to talk to him, he had to be confused by his running away from him at the pool, but Steve needed to sort through his thoughts before talking to him again. Steve wanted something more but he had to accept the fact that it was not going to happen.

The only time they spent time together was at dinner when he, Tony, and the rest of the team all ate with one another. It was a loud affair as the team bantered loudly back and forth. As always, Thor was the loudest of them all and usually Tony rivaled him in the noise department but today he was much quieter. Not absolutely silent, but it did not seem like he was trying to keep up with Thor. They reminisced old battles and focused on the funnier ones. They avoided talking about recent events, which Steve was absolutely grateful for.

He and Tony pretended nothing had happened between them but their talking was somewhat forced which made Steve even more uneasy. Was this going to destroy their friendship now?

Tony caught him alone in the hall after dinner and whispered, “Hey, uh, have you been checking the news sites?”

Steve flushed and asked, “No, have the pictures been posted?”

“…No,” Tony replied, his voice wary. “I…Ah…At this point, I think we have to assume no one got our picture…”

Steve felt like someone had doused him with a bucket full of cold water. All of that was for nothing?

“We-We’re going to have to do it again,” Steve stated what Tony was most likely going to allude to. They were going to have to make out again…Steve both longed and feared it. Could his sanity and heart handle it a second time?

“Yes,” Tony replied. Tony paused then slowly reached out and grasped his hand. Steve inhaled sharply but did not jump away, he was getting used to Tony’s intimate touch. Tony said, “I should have made a call – _done_ _something_ – to make sure someone was going to be there to see us. I was so positive someone was going to be there…I’m sorry, Steve.”

“It’s not your fault,” Steve replied, squeezing Tony’s hand slightly. He instantly felt guilty. Here he was worry about himself and he hadn’t even considered how Tony felt.

“Next time…Next time, I’ll make sure someone is there…alright?” Tony implored.

Steve felt like his heart was being crushed into a tiny wad of useless muscle.

What would Tony do if he pushed him against the wall right now with no one there to see them? Steve gulped as he was tempted by the idea.

Tony saw that gulp and his grip on Steve tightened. His eyes darkened and he gasped, “Steve..?”

Steve shivered from the tone of his voice. He recognized it as the same one he had used by the pool. Tony would probably be 100% fine with Steve kissing him right now.

Steve pulled his hand out of Tony’s before he got any more bad ideas. Tony’s hand twitched like he wanted to grasp his again and he looked hurt by the sudden break. Steve practically ran away before he would have to explain his actions.

Who was he kidding? Tony liked kissing Steve. He probably would have been fine hooking up with him. But anything more than that…

Steve shook his head. He shouldn’t think about it, it just made him sadder.

He meandered around the enormous building until he ventured into the gym. Once there he got into his usual routine, hitting the punching bag with rhythmic punches. He stayed in there, late into the night until his muscles burned and his fists ached.

He had wrestled with his insecurities throughout his workout and was finally able to harden his heart against the silly notion that had been born from his short liaison with Tony. He went to bed with his body tired and his mind resolved yet sleep was hard to attain and he tossed and turned all night.

The next morning he was still restless. He looked at his phone, hoping to see the photos he and Tony strived to create but was disappointed to see only more speculation. Tony was right, they didn’t get the pictures. He checked all the major news sites just to be sure, but those who weren’t speculating who his Significant Other was were discussing the rape charges against him. Either way, his mood soured.

It was early, a little before sunrise, and Steve doubted the paparazzi were awake at this hour so he threw on his jogging suit and went out.

New York was a completely different world in the early morning hours. The only people out were the homeless, sleeping in the nooks or alleys, and the streets mostly held bored taxi drivers, waiting for their shifts to be over. The air in the city always had a hint of exhaust to it thanks to the abundance of traffic and even when there were barely any cars out Steve could taste it coating his mouth and throat. The air was cold and his breath fogged upon every exhalation. Steve wore sweatpants and a tight under armor, short-sleeved shirt. Despite the skin of his arms being exposed, Steve was moving fast enough to get his blood pumping and to stay warm.

Whenever he got the chance to run, he usually liked to do at least 15 miles. He had such a mileage in mind when he set out that day.

He was half way through, as the sun was just rising over the horizon, and he was finally noticed. He was surrounded by paparazzi in the matter of seconds.

Steve’s first reaction was to be impressed. He could count the number of villains on a single hand that had been able to completely overwhelm him like these ordinary humans just did.

They all were screaming questions at him and blinding him with bright flashes from their cameras. Steve held his hands up to his eyes to try to block out the bright lights. He tried to look around him for a possible route of escape but all he saw were a sea of bodies, bobbing with numerous buoys of cameras.

“ _Did Tyler like it raw_?”

Steve felt his jaw drop at the vulgar question. His lawyers had advised him to answer “No comment” to all questions but Steve felt compelled to state, “ _That is disgusting_! And I never slept with that woman!”

Speaking out did not deter the men and women around them but encouraged them. They pressed in tighter and started yelling out more questions, growing more vulgar with every new declaration.

“So are you saying you fucked her and left her to cry herself to sleep?”

“Did your girlfriend watch!?”

“Did you fuck them both at the same time?”

“Did you rape Tyler because your sex life was starting to get boring?”

“Is Romanov your girlfriend? Is she the man in the relationship? _Does she fuck you with a dildo_??”

Steve wanted to push them all aside and runaway but he could not do that without hurting someone. These people may have been vultures but that did not mean they deserved to get hurt! So, instead, Steve slowly pressed through, going in the direction he knew the street to be and prayed a taxi driver would take pity on him because, if not, he would have to walk with these people for miles and he doubted his sanity could handle it.

\---

Tony told himself, come morning, he was going to stop beating around the bush and just confront Steve about it. He did not get a wink of sleep as he examined his conversation with Natasha and Steve’s sudden departures after they made out and after dinner.

What he saw made him…hopeful. Steve clearly was attracted to him and he seemed fine with Tony being attracted to him in return. Yet, the emotional aspect was still confusing. One moment, Steve was gulping and looking like he wanted to devour Tony whole and the next he was running away. What was Tony supposed to take away from that?

However, when Tony finally went hunting for Steve, he was not in his room, or the gym, or the kitchen…or the main living room.

“Jarvis…Where is Steve?” Tony questioned, perplexed by his friend’s absence.

“He is in the kitchen side-yard and has asked not to be disturbed,” Jarvis retorted briskly.

“…Wha-? Why is he in the side-yard? Why did he ask that?”

What was he doing?…Was he avoiding Tony? The thought did not settle well with him.

“Master Rogers seems to be having a panic attack but wishes to not bother you or the others until he settles it on his own.”

Tony’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline and he was jogging to the side-yard, gasping, “ _Fuck_ _that_!”

The side-yard was an outside walkway that was squeezed between the house and the wall that separated them from the outside world. It was where they kept the trash stored as the side door to the kitchen led out there. Tony barged through that side door and slammed the door behind him.

Steve was sitting on the ground, hyperventilating deeply. His head was bowed to his knees and clutched between his hands but it shot up upon Tony’s arrival. Steve was wearing his jogging outfit and the right arm of his shirt was torn and his hair was disheveled. It was not hard for Tony to guess what had happened.

Tony kneeled in front of Steve and grasped his arms as he gasped, “ _You went outside_??”

“It was horrible!” Steve gasped, wide-eyed. He greedily grabbed at Tony’s hands and gasped, “I was miles away and-and they said the most nasty things! They kept throwing insults at me or tried to embarrass me. A-And I could barely breathe, they were so close to me!”

Tony clenched his teeth and tore his hands out of Steve’s hands. Tony wrapped his arms around his head and buried Steve’s face into his chest. Steve quickly wound his arms around Tony’s back and drew him closer, breathing deeply as he tried to calm down.

“Forget about every single thing they said. None of it was true. They only said those things to get a rise out of you!”

“H-How could they be so vicious to me? I-I’m a person, just like them but they treated me like the s-scum on the bottom of their shoe!” Steve was still hyperventilating but Tony could hear him catching his breath and he nestled his face in Tony’s chest. Steve also had been trembling but that stopped almost as soon as he was in Tony’s arms.

Tony was pissed but he did not let his anger burn through into his voice as he stated, “They’re assholes. How did you get away?”

“Good Samaritan pulled over and let me in her car,” Steve gasped.

“Did you get her name? I want to buy her a new car and a night on the town,” Tony replied earnestly, already wondering if Jarvis got a shot of the person’s license plate.

Steve chuckled into his chest and Tony smiled. Tony raised his hand up to cup the back of Steve’s head and run his fingers gently through his hair. He lightly kissed the top of his head and relaxed into Steve’s hold. It took Steve a few minutes to catch his breath but eventually his panic attack slowly faded away.

Steve could have pulled back but he kept his face buried in Tony’s chest and lightly kneaded the muscles in Tony’s back. Tony could not help but remember the inquires he wanted to make but did not want to this moment to end. As it was, this moment was confirming something Tony thought impossible.

Tony nuzzled his face affectionately into Steve’s scalp. His hair was still damp from his run and he loved the smell of his sweat.

“…You make me feel so…calm,” Steve murmured into his chest.

Tony pulled back slightly and looked down to Steve. Steve picked his head off Tony’s chest and slowly met his gaze. His bright blue eyes were glassy from his shock but also held a warmth Tony never saw or, perhaps, noticed before. Tony felt drawn in by the other man’s eyes and just realized how intimate their position was, with their faces only inches from each other.

“Steve..?”

Steve pushed himself up to his knees, putting himself a little higher than Tony. But he did not pull away or relinquish his hold on Tony.

Steve gulped and Tony froze. Steve cautiously ran his hand up the back of Tony’s spine and Tony pushed into his touch like a cat, curling his body into his hand. Steve’s hand eventually made its destination and he cupped the back of Tony’s head. Steve’s eyes drooped, becoming hooded as he stared at Tony’s lips. He whispered, “Tony?”

Tony did not need any other validation and surged up, capturing Steve’s lips with his. Steve responded to his kiss with a loud moan and pulled Tony deeper into his embrace.

They wobbled and then Steve fell back into the wall. Tony quickly adjusted his legs so he was sitting on his lap and he pushed his hips into Steve. Steve’s fingers dug into the flesh of Tony’s back while Tony’s hands were determined to caress every muscle on this magnificent man’s body.

Beneath his touch, the bitter tastes of Steve’s anxiety evolved into the sweet, sweet taste of desire. Steve was not flinching back, Steve was pushing forward, and, most importantly, Steve was kissing back.

This was not a part of their act. This was just them. _100_ % _them_.

Tony rubbed his hips into Steve and, with the flimsy barrier of Steve sweatpants, he felt him growing hard beneath him. Steve moaned into their kiss and Tony pressed his mouth deeper into Steve’s so he’d be able to swallow all those delicious sounds. Steve responded by skewering his tongue into Tony’s mouth and Tony’s cock burned from the turn on. There were so many places he wanted that tongue to go…

Tony did not hear the door open behind him but, just as Tony’s hands were venturing under Steve’s shirt, he heard Clint curse, “What the –?! Fuck, guys! Warn us!! _Please_! I did not want to see that!”

Their mouths broke apart and they shared breathless gasps. Tony looked over his shoulder and grinned ecstatically at their friend. He could only imagine how happy and debouched he looked. His lips felt puffy and wet and Steve had run his hands through his hair so it had to look mussed.

Clint rolled his eyes then went back inside, grumbling under his breath.

Tony turned back to Steve with his wily grin in place. Steve returned the smile warmly and somewhat embarrassedly. Tony’s eyes took in Steve: his torn clothing, his sweat coated skin, and the dirt that had collected on him from sitting on the ground. He was probably uncomfortable with Tony sitting on top of him and with his shoulders pressed into the cinderblocks.

Tony ran the back of his fingers over Steve’s cheek and said, “We should go inside…You need to get cleaned up and I will make us some coffee and see what the vultures said about your little jog…then maybe we can find a nice couch to sit on and talk about stuff.”

Steve’s eyes sparkled and he repeated, “Stuff?”

Tony smirked, ran the tips of his fingers down Steve’s arm, and whispered as sensuously as he could, “Stuff.”

Steve chuckled and leaned forward to steal a quick kiss. Their lips only touched briefly but it was further proof that this wasn’t all for show and that they both wanted to be together…Tony smiled goofily at Steve after the kiss and was tempted to lean forward and kiss his just as chastely.

They separated awkwardly, untangling their limbs and reluctantly pulling away from each other. Once they were both standing, Tony grasped Steve’s hand. They exchanged grins and then walked back into the mansion together, connected by their clasped hands and so much more.

\---

Steve was humming happily to himself as he was getting dressed. His run, although emotionally traumatic, was physically refreshing; the hot shower he just took relaxed his muscles; and, oh, he and Tony kissed. Really kissed – not fake kissed – kissed-kissed. As in “Tony was not doing it for the cameras but only for Steve” kissed.

He was still wary about Tony’s endgame but Tony wanting to talk about “stuff” was encouraging. At that moment, all he cared about was that Tony had done this for them and not the cameras.

He thought the paparazzi were going to ruin his day but now he felt absolutely giddy. He dressed nice and doubled checked his appearance in the mirror. He patted down his hair and grinned at his reflection.

He almost left his room but did a quick turnaround as he remembered his cell phone. It was still sitting in his charger from where he left it before he had gone on his run. He picked it up and paused when he saw some missed texts. He had three texts from Tony looking for him earlier and he smiled happily as he read them. Warmth permeated in his chest as he remembered what transpired between them after Tony had found him.

He had a newer message from Sam Wilson from while he had been in the shower. He touched it to open it and spun around on his heel to leave the room, planning to read the text as he walked.

Sam had texted: “Dude, is this real? When did this happen?” And had included a link.

Steve paused in his stride and opened the link. As he took in the article, he slowly sat down on the bed and his heart sank as all the good and joyful feelings left him.

Tony got what he wanted.

He must have planned ahead like he had said he would. He got a photographer this time…

The article was entitled: _The Stable Relationship is an Avenger, Just Not the One We Were Expecting!_

The pictures were less than an hour old of Tony comforting Steve during his panic attack and kissing him.

Steve had been played for a fool and he happily fell for it…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! The next chapter will take a little longer to get out as I am taking a camping trip to Yosemite and going to Comic Con next week! So I'm going to be doing a lot of driving and am going to be pretty busy but I promise to post the next chapter as soon as possible! Once again, thanks for reading! :)
> 
> Next time, Ch. 5: The Show must Go On...


	5. The Show Must Go On...

“Sir, you and Master Rogers are trending on Twitter,” Jarvis informed him.

Tony was standing in the kitchen and excitedly waiting for Steve. The coffee machine was gurgling and he had two matching mugs sitting next to his laptop. He originally went on to see if anything was posted about Steve’s jog but he was quickly riveted on a new article about Tyler and was half way through it but he stopped reading upon his AI’s statement.

“Pull up the top trending on my screen,” Tony stated as his heartrate began to pick up. Did they finally publish the photos from yesterday?

His article was minimalized by Jarvis and a new window opened with Twitter’s top trending page. The first tweet he saw was of him and Steve but it was not of them making out in their swim trunks…

“Crap…” Tony murmured. The picture was of Steve hyperventilating, his face stark with shock and Tony holding his hands and looking scared as he stared at Steve.

Of all the moments for them to capture, Tony would have never wanted them to post this, when Steve was at his most vulnerable. He scrolled down, seeing more photos from their private moment of them embracing and kissing.

“Cat’s out of the bag now,” Tony murmured. “…How long has this been posted?”

“Ten minutes after you and Master Roger separated. Master Rogers is informed. He has been sent a link by Master Wilson.”

Tony nodded and murmured, “Good…Get a hold of Pepper for me. Oh, and if the lawyers don’t know yet, please notify them.”

“Yes, Sir,” Jarvis replied. On Tony’s screen a phone symbol appeared and a light ringing sounded over the speakers.

Pepper picked up on the second ring, her face filling his screen. Her mouth was downturned in a frown and her eyes narrowed as soon as they focused on him. Behind her was the Manhattan cityscape, by its position, Tony knew she was in her office. Without a greeting, Pepper stated, “Tony, why did you let them take a picture of you two when Steve was in that state?? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine now, I cured him with _love_ ,” Tony teased. “And I didn’t plan for it to happen that way…I would have never done that had I known we were being watched.”

Pepper rolled her eyes and retorted, “We need to address this immediately.”

“Which is why I called you. What do we do?”

“Firstly, release a statement confirming you two are in a relationship and demeaning the photographer for intruding on a private, emotional moment,” Pepper stated. “Which I am writing right now and will be sending out within the hour.”

“Because you are a superstar,” Tony stated with a grin.

“Yes, Tony,” she sighed. “After the statement is released, you and Steve need to do a press conference. You need to show your faces and show the world you are together: share a kiss, hold hands, _something_ to solidify it.”

“Done,” Tony agreed with warmth blossoming in his chest. Before the press conference, he had to get Steve alone and make this relationship _real_. He would stand before the vultures and hold his _actual_ boyfriend’s hand with pride.

“You also need to show that you stand by Steve in the rape accusation. Tell people Steve would never do it,” Pepper added.

“Of course,” Tony replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

“And we have to go over what is acceptable behavior in public and what you can and cannot do to Steve. I don’t want you to scar him for life,” Pepper stated picking up a handful of documents.

“You made a list,” Tony groaned as he saw the paperwork.

Pepper crooked an eyebrow and stated, “Tony, when you are involved, I make a list of things that could definitely go wrong, a backup list of things that maybe _could_ go wrong, and a backup of the backup of the things that have the faintest possibility of going wrong.”

“Oh ye of little faith,” Tony sighed.

“I have more than enough faith that you will cause some sort of scandal or find a way to mortify Steve to death,” Pepper stated.

“You make it sound like I’m going to emotional cripple him,” Tony whined.

“Steve is a sweet guy and you’re….you,” Pepper replied frankly.

Tony frowned, no longer in a joking mood. He ran his tongue over the back of his teeth as he regarded Pepper. She was the only one who knew everything about him with the exception of his true feelings toward Steve.

She still thought this was all an act for Tony. For all she knew, Tony was going to treat Steve like the people he had one nightstands with or he would tease his friend mercilessly. She did not know how crazy Tony was about Steve.

“…I love him, Pep,” Tony stated truthfully. “I’d never hurt him…”

Shock washed over Pepper’s face and she peered at him speculatively. She slowly whispered, “…Tony, why—? A-Are you really?”

“Is it so hard to believe?” Tony asked sarcastically.

"I just never thought…”

“I think he might want to be with me too,” Tony replied hopefully and Pepper’s expression softened. She put down her papers and leaned forward, closer to the screen.

Pepper whispered, “Forget my lists then. If this becomes real, if there are no more lies, then I believe you and Steve can get out of this with your heads held high.”

“So I won’t mortify him to death?” He teased.

“No,” Pepper retorted with a smirk. She teased, “If he’s brave enough to fall in love with you then there can’t be much left to mortify him…”

\---

Pepper texted Steve and Tony in a group message and told them to be downstairs in five minutes and to be ready to face the press.

Steve stared at the message for at least three minutes and was running out of time to reach the lower levels at the elected time.

Seeing Tony so soon after this…it left a bad taste in his mouth.

Steve took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair.

“I can do this,” Steve whispered. He reevaluated his words and stated to himself, “…I have to do this.”

There was no turning back now. Everyone believed they were together. Now Steve and Tony had to continue their act to convince everyone of his innocence…

He had to face the facts: Tony was only in this to help Steve and mess with the media. There was no question that Tony physically liked being with Steve. He could not fault Tony for his actions. He was never one for serious relationships. Tony thought this was all an act. He did not realize Steve was so enamored with him so Steve needed to get a handle on his emotions.

Steve squared his shoulders. He could do this. He’d learned a lot in the USO. He could act. He could pretend he was not affected by what Tony had done.

He can do this.

He had been sitting on the bed ever since Sam texted him. Standing up felt like a gargantuan effort but he was able to do it with one mighty heave. He was still wearing the nice clothes he had changed into after his shower so, when he stated moving, he did not pause to slip into something else.

He walked to the elevator and Jarvis opened it for him. He stepped in and did not turn around as the lift took him to the ground floor. Even when it jolted to a stop and the doors opened, Steve remained facing the elevator.

He can do this.

With a hard expression, he turned around and strode out of the elevator. Pepper, Tony, and a few of his lawyers stood near the main desk. Partitions had been raised in front of the windows blocking their view of the outside to keep the reporters from looking in. He could hear them however, their clangor was loud and constant since he stepped out of the elevator.

Tony turned as he approached and hit Steve with a dazzling smile.

Steve jerked in his stride but kept moving forward. Tony’s smile confirmed it. He really did not realize how badly he had hurt Steve. Steve smiled uneasily at him, hoping to mask the true depth of his feelings.

But Tony’s smile faltered and he looked at Steve uncertainly.

Steve went to his side, as was expected of him, and grasped Tony’s hand. His heart ached at the contact, wanting so badly for there to be more, but he pushed the feelings away. Their act must continue, even for the small audience before them.

“Ready for this, Steve?” Pepper asked him.

Steve cleared his throat and replied, “Yes…”

“We got this Pep,” Tony teased and leaned heavily into Steve’s side and his arm snaked up Steve’s bicep. Steve was able to keep a passive face on the inside he was a mass of conflicting painful emotions hammering away at his already battered heart. _Why couldn’t this be real??_

He felt a tug on his arm and he had to look down. Tony murmured, “Come over here for a moment.”

He nodded toward a more secluded corner. What did he want? Was he going to try to explain himself?

Steve allowed Tony to pull him away. He knew he was naïvely following him but he did not care. This was Tony. He would follow him anywhere no matter what.

Tony’s eyes suddenly were not meeting his and a telltale flush crept along his cheeks. Tony was uneasy and Steve already felt a little better. If Tony was flushing from shame then he knew what he did was wrong. Maybe he forgot to tell him? He probably was not expecting to find Steve having a panic attack so it’s quite understandable that he was somewhat distracted!

“Two minutes, Tony!” Pepper called after them.

Tony rolled his eyes and gave her an annoyed look. When his eyes fell back on Steve they warmed and the flush returned, making Tony’s eyes drop to his chest. He murmured, “So …Steve…Here we are.”

Steve sighed and looked out to the partitions again. Beyond the barriers was a horde of people come just for them and the fake relationship they held. It was astounding what would draw people to them. Throughout the modern world there was still famine, genocide, and intolerant practices but the strongest country on the planet cared more about their love lives than the more serious issues. It was both amazing and horrifying. Steve quietly repeated Tony’s words, mumbling, “Here we are…”

Tony suddenly grasped the side of his face tenderly and Steve stiffened instantly. His eyes snapped to Tony and saw his warm gaze had returned. He stared lovingly at Steve and Steve’s heart sang and cried all at once.

He wanted this but… _but it wasn’t real_.

He could _not_ handle anymore fakeness right now. Especially, when there were only maybe a few dozen for them to act for. He needed all of his strength for when they went outside.

Steve jerked his face out of Tony’s touch, just enough so that no one else would see it, and hissed, “Don’t.”

Tony’s expression paled and went blank and then his hand froze against Steve’s face. Tony cleared his throat and then reached down to fix Steve’s collar, as if that was the reason for his reach all along. He stared at Steve’s throat and hoarsely murmured, “If you are going to be seen with me you are going to at least look like you didn’t just come out of an 80s Pop song.”

Steve stared at a space over Tony’s head as his friend needlessly adjusted his collar. His fingers brushed his neck and reminded him of the more intimate touches to the same spots by the same man.

He squeezed his eyes shut and his lip trembled for only a moment but then Tony pulled away and Steve’s strength returned. He looked down at his friend and saw a more subdued look on his face. His hazel eyes were cast elsewhere but Steve could see the warmth was gone. He was both relieved and crushed by the sight.

They needed to talk this out again. Steve had pretty much told Tony he was up for anything when they had practiced and Tony seemingly took that to heart. He needed to lay down some ground rules on how they were going to act before they totally destroyed their friendship.

\---

Just when Tony was about to bare it all, Steve’s eyes narrowed and everything he thought he knew changed. Steve’s hiss of “Don’t” sliced into him like a knife. He almost staggered right there like his tendons had been cut.

Instead, he somehow found the strength to play it off as nothing. He chuckled to himself as he stepped away to act as if he had thought of something funny and wasn’t about to just confess his love to the man. Yet, on the inside, he felt like his heart was crumbling.

His mind was in a whirlwind, trying to put the pieces back together. None of it made sense. Why was Steve kissing him this morning and pushing him away right now??

Tony could have sworn that Steve was interested in him! Was he wrong?

Tony pinched his chin and pulled at his goatee as he considered the facts.

Or…maybe he was interested in him but just…just not in the same way Tony was? It wasn’t like Steve but…could he be experimenting? Was Steve merely exploring his newly freed gayness? Was he not looking for any attachments?

Tony flushed as he remembered Steve hissing, “Don’t.”

It made sense…If Steve knew Tony was about to confess his feelings and change the game plan then he reacted accordingly…it was – but it was totally out of character of Steve.

Tony felt his shoulders slump even further. How could he had misinterpreted all of this?

“Tony?” Pepper asked, worry lacing her voice. Tony looked up and met his friend’s concerned gaze. Her eyes snapped between Steve and Tony with her unease mounting. She pulled Tony from Steve’s side and whispered, “Is everything alright?”

Tony smiled halfheartedly at her and whispered, “No, not really...Steve does not seem to share my feelings…but don’t worry about me… Let’s get this press conference over with and clear Steve’s name, hm?”

Pity clouded Pepper’s features but she listened to his request and said, “Okay. Here’s your lines and please stick to them.”

She handed him the notecards and he grinned as he replied, “No promises.”

Pepper rolled her eyes and a small smile tugged at her lips. She patted his arm and said, “You’re a good person, Tony.”

Tony sighed deeply and looked down at the flashcards without really reading them.

Pepper stepped away to rejoin the lawyers. With her gone, Steve came back to his side and lightly grasped his forearm.

“The show must go on,” Tony sadly murmured to Steve, doubting he would know he was referencing one of Queen’s songs. He looked up at his friend with a wide smile and asked, “Ready?”

Steve looked tired and he replied, “As I’ll ever be.”

Tony nodded and grasped Steve’s hand to lead him outside. He wore an easy smile and held Steve close. In his head, the song had lodged itself inside and was playing on repeat almost mockingly.

_The show must go on,_

_The show must go on,_

_Inside my heart is breaking,_

_My make-up may be flaking,_

_But my smile, still stays on._

\---

Steve let Tony pull him away and sadly watched the back of his head. He did not look away from him, even as they stepped outside and people were yelling questions at them and the flash of cameras nearly blinded them. Tony tightened his hold on Steve’s hand and lifted his other hand to wave at the reporters.

Steve affixed a small smile to his own face but he could not look away from the back of Tony’s head and look at the reporters but he still waved too.

Tony took them up to a podium and he finally let go of Steve to place both hands on the pedestal as he took in the crowd. Steve stepped beside him and, after a moment’s hesitation, wrapped his arm around Tony’s waist. The clicking of cameras intensified and the flashing made Steve squint but he did not let go of his friend.

Tony leaned into Steve’s hold and looked down at his cards. He studied the words for a moment then slammed them face down on the podium. Behind them, Pepper groaned.

“Many of you are here today because certain pictures were posted online. Steve and I are here today to confirm what most of you are asking: yes, we are in a romantic relationship and have been for two years.” A chorus of questions were instantly shouted out by the gathered reporters but Tony held up a hand and waited until they silenced. Tony continued, once it was quiet enough, “We kept the relationship a secret because we still felt the need to hide it. Steve had grown up in an era that had labeled who he was as criminal and a sin. We wanted to come out on our own terms, when Steve was ready. Tyler is not only falsely accusing my boyfriend but, because of her actions, she also indirectly took our choice away. Steve and I _never_ wanted to come out on Twitter with pictures taken of us in such an _extremely_ emotional and private moment. The only good thing that came about this is that we no longer have to live in secret anymore and it is further proof Steve did not assault Tyler. Steve is gay. He holds no attraction for the opposite sex.”

Tony glanced back at Steve. He smiled sadly at him and turned back to the crowd, saying, “I, myself, had garnered a reputation for one-night stands with men and women but what Steve and I share is not anything like that. He’s made me a better man and…I-I love him.” Tony paused and took a steadying breath before he continued, “Whatever comes of Tyler’s accusations, I will stand by him no matter what because I know this man and he’d _never_ put someone in that position. Thank you. If you have any questions please direct them to Ms. Potts.”

Tony stepped away from the podium and grabbed Steve’s arm, pulling him after him. Steve’s eyes returned to watching the back of Tony’s head.

Steve had expected Tony to say all of that except the proclamation of love at the end. It was the only point in the speech that Tony had stumbled over his words but regardless he had stated to loving Steve.

It was as shocking and painful as a slap to the face, only it was his heart that was hit and the prickly tingling sensation that was left behind, remained in his chest and did not go away even when Tony dropped his hand and left him behind in the lobby without a single backwards glance.

\---

Unlike Tony, he had waited behind and listened to the questions that were being asked. The press wanted to know all the intimate details of their relationship, even their sex life. Pepper answered all of the questions diplomatically or avoided them with a masterful redirect.

When she came back inside, she spotted him and went straight to Steve. Once she was close enough she announced, “That went well, not great, but well enough.”

“Not great?” Steve echoed with concern.

“You two were a little stiff up there,” Pepper stated. “Some noticed but most are attributing it to the trauma of forcibly being ousted…Twitter has already tweeted a formal apology and supports you two in your relationship and your stance in the accusation…Where did Tony go?”

Steve shrugged and murmured, “I don’t know…”

Pepper bit down on her bottom lip and looked torn. Finally, she said, “…You look tired, Steve. Maybe you should get some sleep. The next couple of days are going to be crazy.”

Steve nodded and did as she suggested. He dragged his feet back to his apartment.

He felt tired. _So_ _tired_ and he just wanted to lay down and sleep the rest of the day.

Susan Tyler’s accusation, the press’s reaction, this fake relationship, his complicated feelings, and these blows from Tony…It was all too much to handle after the last few days. Sleeping was uncomplicated and he did not have to think about all of-of _this_.

He kicked off his shoes and fell face first into his mattress. Everything that had been weighing him down seemed to press him even deeper into the bed. Steve sighed heavily and closed his eyes.

Just as his mind was winding down and exhaustion was muting his thoughts, did the priority alarm go off. The Avengers were needed. Steve groaned and punched the mattress.

Life sucked.

He sat up and grumbled into his communicator, “Avengers Assemble.”

\---

“Are you gay?”

The question threw Steve for a loop.

He kept his hands on the young man he was helping out of the rubble but his head shot up and focused on the person who had asked him the question a few feet away.

“Excuse me?” Steve asked. He must have not heard that right.

“Are you gay, you know, a homosexual,” retorted the reporter and then he shoved his microphone into Steve’s face for his response. Behind the reporter, his cameraman leaned in closer, focusing his lens on Steve.

Steve looked incredulously at the man then peered down at the injured man he was helping. An entire block had been destroyed by a monster from another dimension and this reporter wanted to clarify _this_?

“I think you need to go back to the press barricades and report on the attack, not gossip,” Steve retorted sharply. The young man in his arms grunted in agreement.

Steve and the injured man stepped off the last of the rubble and reached ground-level. The man let out a relieved sigh and leaned into Steve. Steve waved over some medics, fearing the man might collapse at any moment.

The reporter did not do as Steve asked and persisted, “So are you denying that you are gay? You never made an official statement, only Tony Stark did. Are you trying to say Mr. Stark’s statement and those photos of you and Tony Stark are falsified??”

Steve ignored the reporter until the medics took the half-dead man away. He then turned on the reporter with a hard expression and stated, “I am not denying it. I am gay. I always have been. What I was denying was answering such an inane question in the middle of a calamity!”

“When did you realize you were gay?” The reporter continued without pause.

Steve rolled his eyes and said, “No comment.”

As he walked away, his face hard but calm, he internally was screaming.

He just publically came out.

He verbally just told a reporter he was gay. In all the years he spent worrying about this, he never imagined it would have come out so easily or nonchalantly. _But the nerve of that reporter_! Hundreds of people were dead or injured and all he wanted to know was an irrelevant personal fact about Steve!

Steve paused to rub his forehead as his head started to ache. At least the vultures were no longer shouting expletives or vile things anymore.

“Cap?”

Upon Tony’s call, Steve looked up with some reservation. Iron Man hovered a few feet above him. Tony asked, “Do you need a lift to the meeting point?”

The battle had put him in a foul mood. Steve gritted his teeth and snapped, “I can walk.”

He began doing just that, stubbornly walking up the rubble to where they were all going to meetup and assess what to do next. They got out the last of the survivors so all that was left was cleanup, statements to SHIELD, and giving the press a summary of what happened.

Tony followed him at a hover and was silent as Steve walked unevenly across the rubble.

They had not interacted much during the fight other than Steve giving orders and Tony complying with a dash of sarcasm. Steve kept his anger in check during the fight but he did not reply to Tony’s teases and the older man noticed.

“…Are you upset? And not by this, this is devastating, but…by the interview?” Tony asked curiously, his voice rumbling more through the Iron Man speakers.

Steve shook his head and chuckled darkly. Without facing Tony and keeping his stride, he retorted, “That and the photos.”

He could feel the weight of Tony’s silence as he assessed his tone and words.

How would Tony justify using him so? He had yet to say anything about the photos taken without Steve’s knowledge. Or was he just going to treat it like a joke and pretend it did not matter?

He heard the slight whine of Tony’s thrusters as he got closer but he had not been expecting to feel Tony’s metal hand slide into his nor feel the body of his suit to press into his back. Steve wanted to lean back into him and draw him closer. For half a second, he almost did just that. However, a moment later, he jolted out of Tony’s hold and turned on him with a scowl.

He hissed under his breath, “If you want the paparazzi to get more photos talk to me beforehand. I _do not_ want any more surprises or-or…” He paused to collect his breath and steady his voice. He continued more slowly, “I just want to know when things are real. Alright?”

He blanched as soon as the words left his mouth. He all but confessed that he had thought what they shared was real.

The Iron Man faceplate snapped up and Steve was able to see Tony’s hurt and bewildered expression. It made Steve angrier. Steve was justifiable in his anger. _Tony used him_.

“Steve…I…It was real? This just now, and before, I want to comfort you. That is real! _I-I didn’t know our pictures were being taken_!”

“No, you said the next time we go together you would make sure the paparazzi were there!” Steve retorted angrily.

“I went to you because Jarvis told me you were having a panic attack! Calling the vultures was the furthest thing from my mind! I only wanted to help you!” Tony yelled back, coming within inches of his face.

Steve stated sarcastically, “Help me?? By kissing me?? How convenient!”

“I kissed you because _I FUCKING LOVE YOU_!” Tony flinched at his own words then snapped back and looked down as he hissed under his breath, “Goddamnit…”

Steve felt his face slacken with surprise. It took longer than it should have for Tony’s words to process in his head. Tony looked back up to Steve and Tony growled, “ _Fuck_ _it_ – I love you, you Goddamn ass! I did not want to hurt you and the only way I used you was by proposing this scam of a relationship and truly loving it. I’m sorry I fucked up your schedule.”

Tony’s faceplate slammed shut and, with a blast of his repulsors, he went flying into the sky. Steve watched him go wide-eyed and with a slack jaw.

Did Tony really just—?

“…I’m just going to remind you two that we have open communicators so _everyone_ just heard that,” Clint interjected through the communicator in Steve’s ear. Steve dropped his face into his hand with a groan.

“Shut the fuck up, Barton,” Tony growled.

“Ohhh, daddy’s mad,” Clint said in mock fear.

“Daddy is going to kick your ass,” Tony retorted angrily, not finding Clint’s mocking at funny.

“When did the Man of Iron become a father?” Thor asked excitedly and Tony made a noise that sounded like a combination of a groan and an over exaggerated sigh.

“Thor, I don’t think Tony’s a dad,” Bruce explained with a chuckle. He still on the comms despite being miles away in his lab where he kept the Hulk safely tucked away. Bruce continued, “And I’m tracking you right now Tony. You need to stop flying toward the Tower and continue your talk with Captain Glor—.”

“And everyone is not going to say another word,” Tony interrupted Bruce.

“No, Bruce is right. Daddy should turn right back around and listen to mommy instead of running away,” Natasha interjected.

“Natasha!” Steve hissed. He did not know what bothered him most, Natasha calling him ‘mommy’ or having Tony fly back here so soon after his confession. His mind was still reeling from the revelation.

“…Just saying, there’s a reason Steve was so hurt by those pictures being taken. He may or may not have made certain assumptions—,” Natasha drawled.

“NAT! Please, not over the communicators!” Steve gasped, interrupting her. What was she doing?? He began to walk quickly, wanting to have a word in with the redhead in private. He quickly cleared the top of the hill and spotted the meeting point where the rest of the Avengers with the exception of Tony and Bruce were waiting.

“…Steve,” Tony whispered. Several miles away, Iron Man stopped flying and turned to him. He was only a speck in the sky but Steve could feel Tony’s eyes on him. Steve stopped where he was and stared back. “Steve, I mean it I love you. I have for years…I just never asked if you felt the same because I thought you were straight…Do you...?”

“Captain Rogers?”

“…I do, I mean I think I do, I mean…yes, the feeling’s mutual,” Steve babbled to the figure miles away. He flushed and said, “I never thought you would want to be with me? I thought you did not want a relationship?”

“ _Captain_ _Rogers_?”

“I only ever wanted one with you,” Tony whispered.

“Cue sappy music,” Clint snorted.

“ _I swear, Barton, I am going to beat your ass_ –!” Tony growled.

“Steve, someone is trying to talk to you,” Natasha added, sounding a little amused.

Iron Man started to fly back to them, making Steve smile and he broke his eyes away from Tony to see who was trying to get his attention.

He blinked back his surprise as he recognized one of the detectives on his case standing in the rubble before him.

The man looked annoyed and Steve wondered how long he had been trying to get his attention. Standing by at the base of the rubble, by the team, stood the other detective.

“Detective-?” What was his name again?

“Captain Rogers, I am going to have to ask you to put down your shield and come with me. You are under arrest for the rape of Susan Tyler,” the man stated.

Over the communicator the rest of the team heard the man’s words and every single one of them belted out a variation of a curse word or words of disbelief.

Steve was too shocked to speak or move. Just a moment ago, he was ecstatic. Tony confessed to loving him. And now…He dumbly repeated, “R-Rape?”

The detective placed his hand on his hip where his revolver was unclipped and ready to use. He stated, “I am going to ask you one more time, put down the shield and come with me. Your DNA results are in. You are a match.”

“But my alibi?”

“Tyler recanted the date. She says the trauma altered her memory and she cannot pinpoint it. Now put down the shield or I will use force.”

Steve raised his eyebrows at the man’s audacity. He had no chance against Steve. Yet his gaze rose and he saw this man’s strength did not come physically but was represented in the presence of the multitudes of cameras in the area. And every one of them was pointed at Steve and the detective.

Steve timidly removed his shield with numb fingers. Over the communicator, Tony yelled, “DO NOT GO WITH HIM!”

Iron Man landed next to him a moment later and his face shield popped open. Tony snarled at the detective, “He just saved _hundreds_ of lives and _this is how you repay him_??”

“Get out of the way now Mr. Stark or I will arrest you for obstructing justice,” the detective growled. His partner was already moving up the rubble with his gun drawn.

Steve grasped Tony’s arm and whispered, “Tony, we knew the DNA would match. We thought this would happen…Please, let me go.”

Tony turned to him with a stricken expression and gasped, “But we just –!?”

“I know,” Steve whispered. He hugged Tony and buried his face into the armor of his neck. He repeated, “I know…”

He pulled back but as their eyes met, Steve and Tony automatically pulled together again and kissed. It was the first time they shared a real, honest-to-God kiss between each other without the shadow of it being fake in the background. They held each other like their lives depended on it and pressed into each other so tightly they could barely breathe.

It lasted only a handful of seconds but it left them both gasping from its intensity.

“I love you too,” Steve whispered, handing his shield to Tony. He finally voiced it aloud but it was during the worst possible situation.

Tony took the shield and watched him step back with a stark expression.

The detective forcibly turned Steve around and snapped cuffs onto his wrists behind his back. The cuffs would do nothing to stop him but Steve allowed himself to be manhandled. He looked over his shoulder and stared at Tony as they were being put on. The detective read him his Maranda Rights while Steve pretended he and Tony were the only ones there and gathered courage from his gaze.

He only broke his eyes from Tony’s when the detective grabbed his arm and began to pull him down the hill of rubble. Reporters swarmed in and Steve held his head high as they captured his disgrace and bombarded him with questions.

\---

_Another hero, another mindless crime_

_Behind the curtain, in the pantomime_

_Hold the line, does anybody want to take it anymore_

_The show must go on…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anndddd now that song is stuck in my head. You can watch the music video for Queen's The Show Must Go On [here](https://youtu.be/-K7a-XckOt4). 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!  
> On a side note, since I started writing this I kept telling myself to start posting things to tumblr and now I am finally going to start! I'm mostly going to be posting small excerpts from future chapters before actually posting them here (keep in mind I am writing two fics right now so there will be content from both of them [the other fic being Steve/Bucky]). If you want to follow me on tumblr you can find me [here](http://il0vsuperman.tumblr.com)
> 
> Next time, Chapter Six: Bail Me
> 
> Thanks again and the next chapter will be out in a week! (a teaser will be out on my tumblr in a couple days!) :D


	6. Bail Me

In the last five minutes on his tablet, Tony had seen at least ten different versions of his and Steve’s parting in pictures, video, and gifs. Their kiss was examined, grieved, and pitied by the masses.

The reminiscing did nothing to make the ache in his chest go away nor get rid of the acidic taste in his mouth created by his fear for Steve.

Pepper’s idea for them to share an intimate moment before the cameras worked like a charm. No one doubted the validity of their relationship now but they had no idea that what they had recorded was just the first cornerstone of their budding bond. Hell, Tony wasn’t sure if he should refer to Steve as his boyfriend…When this was fake, he would have said it easily enough but now…He wanted to do nothing to destroy the fragile thing he and Steve were creating. He had no idea what Steve’s thoughts were on the matter since he had been so forcibly taken away.

“Jarvis?”

“No word as of yet, Sir,” his AI replied without needing elaboration.

Tony groaned deeply and threw back his head into the couch’s cushion. He and the others were sitting in the main room with the news playing out over the big screen. They were getting little to no tidbits of information and the news stations were switching from the scene between Steve and Tony to Steve entering the police station. His laptop was providing no better information. Everyone wanted to gossip over the drama of the arrest and their emotional parting. It was like something out of a soap opera and the media were eating it all up.

Tony’s lawyers were right behind Steve when entering the police station and they were all anxiously waiting to hear if Steve got bail or not.

Steve’s shield lay on the coffee table in the center of their gathering.

Bruce reached over and lightly rubbed his shoulder. He murmured, “He’ll come back.”

“I want to fly over there right now and just break him out,” Tony moaned, rubbing his eyes.

“And that would only make things worse,” Natasha commented dryly.

“Which is why I am still _here_ ,” Tony groaned.

“I could easily shoot out those air conditioners on the roof. They would never know it was foul play. Just a sliver of metal will be needed and in less than an hour they’d all be toasting,” Clint suggested.

“The officers would probably get some oscillating fans but their prisoners will get nothing,” Bruce naysaid the idea before it could take fruit in Tony’s mind…and he really liked it for a second.

“Perhaps, if an Asgardian truth-seer came and testified to our Captain’s validity and the Tyler woman’s falsehoods…” Thor began with a frown.

“It would never hold up in court,” Tony cut him off apologetically. “Alien evidence would never be accepted, no matter their weight in proof…”

“Absurd,” Thor muttered, his frown growing deeper.

“Indeed,” Tony agreed.

The team grew silent again and their eyes all went to the TV where the reporter was recounting the scene between Steve and Tony.

“…How many times do they have to comment on the ‘intimate’ scene?” Tony grumbled.

Natasha scoffed and said, “This was what you were planning to happen.”

Tony crossed his arms over his chest and murmured, “That was before…” Before Tony confessed his true feelings and Steve did the same. It was before what they shared became personal and no longer fake…Before Tony wished for some privacy with Steve instead of public exposure…

\---

Steve was experiencing an odd assortment of feelings as he awaited his hearing.

Number one was apprehension. He had hoped the charges would be dropped due to insignificant evidence but that clearly was not the case now. He was going to trial and, if he lost or not, history showed everyone would think him a rapist.

And then there was Tony. Tony who confessed to loving him and then…and then he had to watch as Steve was arrested like a petty criminal.

Steve groaned and buried his face into his hands. He sat alone in an empty room with bare walls and no windows with the exception of the tiny one in the locked door. The air was stale and there was an odd stain on one of the cement benches across from him.

It was a place meant to hold criminals not him. He shouldn’t be there.

He should be in the Tower – _his_ _home_ – with Tony.

The lock clicked as the door opened and Steve shot to his feet.

The correction officer stepped inside and murmured, “It’s your turn, sir.”

Steve had given up on trying to get the young man to call him ‘Steve’ and Steve smiled sadly at him. He held out his hands together. The officer stepped forward and clicked metal cuffs onto his wrists.

Steve closed his eyes for a moment to collect his breath. They had taken away his cowl, gloves, and shield but he remained in his Captain America uniform. The metal irritated his skin on his wrists and he had the strongest urge to rip his hands apart but he didn’t. He swallowed his disgust and opened his eyes. He looked to the correction officer and stated, “I am ready.”

He doubted the way he was treated was the norm. Everyone was respectful toward him and, when he passed the other prisoners, they all grew quiet and watched him with large eyes.

That silence, however, was nothing compared to the silence that filled the tiny courtroom when Steve was led inside. Conversations came to an immediate halt and the dozen or so people in the room seemed to collectively hold their breath.

He felt totally out of place in his navy blue uniform adorned with the white star in the middle of his chest, surrounded by neutral colored suits. He stood out like a sore thumb.

The correction’s officer had explained to him that this was not jury trial, this was simply his initial appearance. A judge was going to decide if he was going to be allowed to post bail or remain in jail until trial.

The judge sat at the table at the forefront of the room. Tony’s lawyers waited for him at the table to the judges left and the prosecution sat at the table to the judge’s right. There were others who worked for the court milling around but Steve’s eyes did not focus on them. His eyes were on the woman who would decide his freedom.

She was an older woman with white hair cut short in a fluffy pixie style. She wore the traditional black robes and dark square glasses. She met Steve’s gaze and held it as he walked into the room. He was led to his lawyers, the handcuffs were removed, and he was seated in a plush chair. The lawyers murmured something to him but he did not hear them. All of his attention was focused on this woman as their gazes were still locked.

She was the first to look away as one of the courtroom clerks stood up and began to read off the dozen or so charges that Steve was being charged with. It was a list of various counts of assault and rape. Steve’s stomach twisted just listening to it.

Once the charges were read the judges eyes snapped back to Steve and she said, “Captain Rogers it is your right as a citizen of New York State to have preliminary hearing in which the state will have to submit probable cause before we move on to trial. Do you want one?”

Steve nervously glanced at his lawyers and they all nodded so Steve cleared his throat and huskily replied, “Yes.”

The judge nodded and continued, “Very well, if the prosecution presents valid evidence then the trial will go on and you will have the right to request a trial by judge or jury.”

Steve nodded, afraid to imagine a trial…any trial just yet.

The hearing moved on and the prosecution stated their reasons Steve’s bail should be revoked, “Steven Rogers has the backing of a multi-billionaire, he is known to frequently leave the country, he has few ties to the community, and he has connections to _dimensions_ outside of this universe. Ultimately, he is the definition of a major flight risk. This is not even his era. He is from a different time and holds no connections to ours. In addition, there is countless video evidence of his use of violence against others. He is a menace to the public.” Steve felt his ire rising with every new hypocrisy.

“Your honor, I object to everything the prosecutor just stated and call it slander not evidence!” His head lawyer, Marcel Collins, hissed. Out of all his lawyers, this one was the one whose name he actually remembered as he was the one who was always standing by Pepper in all the TV interviews about Tyler’s accusation. He was a tall man, with nice hair, and a sharp smile. Marcel, however, was currently not smiling and he continued, “This man is a hero! The violence he exhibited was only to save the countless lives of people from all around the world! The only reason he leaves the country is to put his life on the line to save others. He has never had a charge placed against him until now and the evidence is circumstantial at best! New York has been Captain Rogers’ home since he was born here, what era we are in does not change that! Furthermore, he has a residence in the Avengers Tower and is currently living with the team, _including_ Mr. Stark who he has been in a relationship with for the last two years! The Captain is being wrongly charged by—.”

The judge raised her hand and his lawyer fell silent. She stated, “I have heard enough.”

Her brown eyes flickered back to Steve and he held her gaze.

The judge stated, “These are very serious charges and, despite what the defendant’s defense states, there is significant evidence…” Steve gulped as he felt the woman’s eyes scrutinize him. She continued, “However, the defense statements about Captain Rogers’ virtues are also true. Due to his contributions to the world at large, I am willing to give him bail—.” Steve exhaled loudly as relief washed over him. “However, you are not allowed to leave the state until the end of the trial nor are you allowed to go within one hundred feet of Ms. Tyler, Captain Rogers, and you will have to post 10 million in bail.”

“Your honor?! That is an extremely high –!” Marcel began to gasp.

The judge slammed down her gavel and stated, “The prosecution is right in the defendant’s flight risk and the bail mirrors that risk. I assume it won’t be a problem seeing as how Captain Rogers is in a relationship with the richest man in the city?” Marcel pursed his lips and the judge smiled. She slammed her gavel again and stated, “Court is adjourned.”

“We will have your bail posted within the hour,” one of the lawyers whispered in his ear as he was being pulled to his feet by the corrections officer.

“It’s – we’re done?” Steve gasped, amazed by the fluidity of the hearing. He expected to be there longer than a few minutes.

“You’re lucky. The judge isn’t looking to showboat and drag this out,” Marcel commented dryly as he collected his papers.

The corrections officer pulled him away from his legal team before they could say more. He was recuffed and he was led back to his holding cell.

That next hour passed by in a quick daze as Steve’s shock by the entire situation numbed him to everything. Before he knew it, he was being led out of the building and into a waiting car. It was only when he saw the Tower getting closer did he realize he was going home. He sagged deeply into the seat and whispered, “Finally…”

The Tower was surrounded by a mass of media but they bypassed it all by pulling into the private garage. A great sense of relief flowed through him as the reporters disappeared and he was surrounded by the familiar walls of his home. He was safe and, for a little while, he could escape the awfulness of the coming trial.

The team was waiting for him by the entrance to the Tower. His sense of relief evolved into joy. He was back with his friends again.

His eyes focused on Tony and that joy grew into bliss. He was returning to more than just his friends now.

Steve slipped out of the car and Tony bound toward him. They did not pause to think. One moment their eyes were just meeting and the next their arms were around each other and their mouths were connecting like magnets.

“ _Get a room_!” Clint gasped and then added with mock horror, “There are children here!” Clint covered Thor’s eyes and the Norse God cocked his head to the side in confusion.

“I am much older than all of you combined,” Thor murmured with misunderstanding but he made no move to peer past Clint’s palm.

Steve and Tony parted with nervous chuckles and Clint dropped his hand. Thor stared incredulously at Clint as Steve looked to the rest of the team bashfully. They were all watching them with various levels of amusement.

“It’s good to see you guys,” Steve stated, his eyes spanning over his teammates.

“We could tell how happy you were to see us by the way you attacked Stark’s mouth,” Natasha commented dryly. Tony threw back his head and laughed but Steve felt his face turn bright red.

“I—Well—I—,” he stuttered.

“Don’t worry about it,” Bruce interjected. “We’re happy to see you too but, given the situation, perhaps we will give you two some alone time now?”

“Yes, please!” Tony gasped and leaned heavily into his side. Steve wrapped an arm around him to better support him and to have an excuse just to touch him.

Bruce nodded and the others parted. Thor got in the final word by calling out, “Hearty congratulations upon your genuine blessed union!”

Steve and Tony shared a chuckle and bumped their heads together as they did. Their eyes met again and their laughing stopped. Steve lightly touched his forehead to Tony’s and whispered, “Hi.”

Tony grinned and cupped the side of his face as he replied, “Hello.”

“…I would like to go back to kissing you,” Steve whispered.

Tony’s grin grew and he said, “ _Oh_ , me too. Shall we venture to more courteous accommodations?”

“I have a very nice couch in my apartment,” Steve supplied.

“Sold! Let’s go!” Tony said and dragged him to the elevator.

Steve chuckled as Tony pulled him and they wrapped their arms around each other when they reached their destination.

“…I love you,” Tony stated, his voice grave and serious. “I may have yelled it out spur of the moment out on the battlefield but, I just want you to know I was serious, _I love you_. I have for years and…well, I was wondering if we can make this real between us. I really _want_ to be your boyfriend.”

Steve grinned and stated, “I really want to be your boyfriend too.” He kissed Tony as his heart threatened to soar out of his chest and then he added, “And I also was serious. I love you too. Always have…”

“Say it again,” Tony hummed, leaning toward him.

“I love you,” Steve whispered into his lips and kissed him. It felt so right.

“To think…our two years lie, we could really have been together all this time,” Steve murmured against his boyfriend’s lips. Boyfriend. God, he _never_ thought he would use that term in context to his significant other and nonetheless Tony.

“Imagine if all of this never happened with Tyler? We’d still have our heads in our asses without a clue that the other was feeling the same thing!” Tony gasped dramatically.

Steve’s chest contracted a little upon the mentioning of Tyler. He slumped into one of the elevator walls and mumbled, “I still don’t even know what she looks like…and I’m being accused of her rape…”

“Hey,” Tony grasped the side of his face and made him look at him. He whispered, “You’re going to get through this. Don’t think about the negative aspects right now. That’s what I’m paying my lawyers for. Think of only the good. Think of us, right here, right now. Together.”

Jarvis had already moved the elevator to Steve’s floor and the metal doors were waiting and open for them.

Tony pulled on his hand and pulled him into his own apartment. Steve whispered in agreement, “Together.”

Tony grinned and they went over to the promised couch. It was large and plush and Steve had fallen in love with it at the furniture store. It was one of the few items that did not come with the apartment. When Tony draped himself across it, Steve felt a strong primal pleasure grow at the sight of it.

His couch.

His boyfriend.

 _His_.

Tony was smirking as if he was reading Steve’s mind. Slowly playing with and undoing the top buttons of his shirt, Tony murmured, “Jarvis, lockdown the room.”

“Yes, Sir.”

They did not hear anything lockdown like one would hear with a car when its locks were engaged with a loud click but Steve trusted that the room was secure and no one would be disturbing them.

Steve covered the distance between them and slowly lay himself over Tony. The older man wrapped his hands around Steve’s biceps and groaned as his settled his weight on him.

Steve began to kiss the side of his neck and put his hands under Tony’s shirt, feeling the skin beneath. He was still marveling at the fact that this was no longer fake. They both wanted each other and wanted to be together. With this knowledge, Tony felt so much more amazing. His pulse fluttered madly under Steve’s lips and his skin of his neck tasted like sea salt. Under his hands, he dragged his hands against Tony’s flesh and drew him closer so he could feel his arousal. Beneath him, Tony groaned and pressed back, gyrating his hips teasingly.

Tony’s fingers dug into the muscles of his arms and he gasped, “Steve, wait, there – _oh_ – there was something I wanted to try.”

“Hmm?” Steve hummed, not yet disconnecting his lips from Tony’s flesh.

“After that hand job you gave me in the pool, all I have been thinking about—,” Tony gasped and Steve froze as his lust spiked from the memory. He pushed himself up and peered down at Tony. Tony’s eyes were dark and filled with promise. Tony continued, “—all I have been thinking about is returning the favor.”

Tony slowly sat up and Steve moved with him, their eyes never breaking. Steve heart began to speedily race in his chest. Whatever Tony had in mind, he wanted it. He wanted it so bad.

They slowly shifted until Tony was the one on top and Steve was the one pressed back into the couch. Tony’s hands ran reverently along this torso and he asked, “Do you want to take this slow or can I take your uniform off? …I remember someone saying stable relationships don’t start off with sex on the first date but I’d like to prove him wrong.”

All of the blood in Steve’s body torpedoed to his cock and he nervously gulped. Tony’s eyes flashed with hot desire and he bit down on his bottom lip.

They really should talk about their new relationship but…what was there to talk about? Tony was his best friend so he already knew him and _they both loved each other_! What else was there to talk about that hadn’t already been said? They’ve already kissed, made out, and felt each other up so why not? They both wanted it so the decision was not too hard for him to make.

Steve licked lips and whispered, “Strip me.”

“My pleasure, beloved,” Tony whispered and the pet name sent a thrilling spike into Steve’s heart.

Steve expected him to take off his top first by the way Tony had been touching his torso but the mad genius bypassed that and went straight for Steve’s belt.

“Oh my God,” Steve gasped from surprise. He hadn’t expected him to move _that_ fast! Steve flushed and garbled, “T-Tony I-I don’t have anything on u-under there.”

“Fuck, yes,” Tony groaned and snapped open Steve’s pants. “Do you never wear underwear with your uniform?”

“N-no,” Steve gasped. He lost his ability to breathe properly as Tony’s fingers crawled over his crotch. He bit down on his lip and threw back his head. Steve gasped, “Pants are too tight…”

“I am never going to be able to fight with a straight head with that knowledge now,” Tony murmured and Steve shuddered violently as Tony’s cold fingers slid into his pants and gripped his penis. He gently pulled Steve out but he was already hard and every touch was wondrous torture.

Steve was trembling and breathing shallowly. The knowledge that it was Tony’s hands touching him made his touch ten-times more powerful.

“Look at me, Steve,” Tony hissed.

Steve’s eyes flickered down and he bit back a groan. It was the most erotic sight he had ever seen. He was fully erect, his penis bright red against honey-licked skin of Tony’s hand. Tony’s fingers were wrapped around the base of his shaft and his face was a hair’s width away from it.

Tony’s eyes were dark and glassy and their depths flickered like a candle when Steve’s eyes locked with his.

As soon as their eyes met, Tony lowered his head and – was he?

“ _Oh_ ,” Steve threw back his head, bunched his eyes closed, and groaned heatedly as Tony’s mouth wrapped around his cock. He bucked his hips deeper into Tony’s mouth and Tony moaned, the sound vibrating in his mouth and along his cock.

Tony’s mouth slipped off him and Steve almost whimpered from the loss of that startling heat. Tony whispered, “Look at me. I need to see your face.”

Steve lifted his head and met Tony’s eyes. Tony held his gaze as he lowered his head and lightly sucked at the head of hic cock. Steve bit down on his fist to muffle his groan but he kept his eyes connected with Tony. With his mouth still on Steve’s prick, Tony smirked and, without any warning, swallowed Steve whole. Steve shuddered and he moaned loudly, unable to muffle it this time. He almost threw his head back again from the sensation and bucked his hips but Tony placed his hand on Steve abdomen to control his movements. Steve kept his eyes latched onto Tony’s dark gaze and felt trapped in its wicked attention.

Tony’s mouth was hot and his tongue was soft and caressing the underside of his cock. Steve never before felt such intense pleasure and it rocked him to the very core. If not for his connection with Tony’s eyes, he probably would have lost himself to the passion. As it was, he could barely focus on anything else other than the feel of Tony’s mouth and the intense stare of his eyes.

With their eyes connected like this, Tony could see Steve’s reactions. He could see how much he came undone by the blow job. Steve blushed from a combination of embarrassment and arousal. It was the most erotic and intimate thing Steve had ever done and he couldn’t imagine sharing it with anyone other than the man between his legs.

Steve carded his fingers into Tony’s scalp and his hazel eyes became half-lidded with pleasure from the touch. He continued to massage Tony’s scalp and slowly rocked his hips with the rise and fall of Tony’s mouth.

Steve thought himself totally lost to the moment until the door opened and he jolted up with the sound. Tony jumped back too, more from Steve’s reaction, and released his cock with a pop. Tony spun on his knees to face the source of the sound: Pepper.

“Tony – _Oh_!” Pepper steeped into the room and her face paled as her eyes focused on them. She spun around, facing away from them, and hissed, “Tony! He just got back!! You couldn’t wait five minutes!?”

Utter mortification destroyed all the lust in him and Steve hurriedly tucked himself back in. He felt blood flush his cheeks and it burned as hot as fire. His cock ached painfully as he tucked it away and Steve winced.

Pepper just saw—Tony was –and Steve—! He’d never been so mortified in his life! He was so embarrassed and couldn’t look at Pepper.

Tony faced Steve with a groan. His chest collapsed against Steve’s legs and he dropped his face into Steve’s crotch. Steve hissed with indignation, “ _Tony_!”

Tony lifted his head with a pout and turned to Pepper. He groaned, “What are you doing here?? I had Jarvis lock this place down!”

“And I used the override codes you gave me!” Pepper countered with a stomp. “You told me just yesterday that you two were just friends and this morning you two could barely look at each other! _And now you’re giving him a blowjob_!”

Steve covered his face to stifle the heat coming off his face. He was surprised he hadn’t caught fire yet. _This was so embarrassing_. Steve mumbled, “We’ve been more than friends for the last week…”

“Yes, but that was _fake_ ,” Pepper countered to the opposite wall, pointing her finger angrily at the stucco.

“Steve, put your hands down and, Pep, turn around, we’re decent,” Tony stated and he pushed himself up to sit next to Steve.

Steve peeked out from behind his hands as Tony leaned into his side. Tony lay one arm across the back of his shoulders and the other over his abdomen. There he fiddled with the end of his uniform and lightly caressed the skin of his hipbone beneath. Steve scowled at Tony. There was no need to be so familiar in front of Pepper, especially after what she just walked in on.

Pepper turned on her heel and she sported a similar flush to her cheeks as Steve. She focused her frown on Tony and Tony smirked as he stated, “Alright, why did you feel the need to use an override code to speak to me, Pep?”

“We need to issue another statement,” Pepper replied dryly. “You need to stand by Steve, remember? The sooner we get it out the better. Had you answered your phone I wouldn't have had to come up here and tell you this.”

Tony rose a single brow and sarcastically stated, “I don't know if you had noticed but I had been otherwise preoccupied at the time.”

Pepper’s flush grew a little redder and she snipped, “Sorry to interrupt Tony-Funtime but you need to preoccupy yourself with getting in front of the press instead of getting into Steve’s pants!”

Steve groaned and dropped his face in his hands again. This was officially the most utterly embarrassing moment in his life. He wished he could crawl under a rock and pretend it never happened.

“I take it I already have a statement ready and waiting for me,” Tony dryly asked, laying his head on Steve’s shoulder.

“Yes, and all you need to do is look presentable,” Pepper retorted.

Tony grinned and motioned to his waist where a noticeable bulge was and stated, “Then I suggest you let me and Steve return to our activities, otherwise, you’re going to have to wait a while and get a very irritable Tony.”

Pepper sighed heavily with an irritable huff and said, “Be ready in half an hour.”

She turned sharply on her heel and did not say goodbye as she stomped out of the room.

Tony chuckled and reached up to kiss Steve. Steve flinched back and gasped, “You can’t possibly think we are going to continue after that?!”

Tony groaned and begged, “ _Please_! We didn’t even get to the best part!”

Tony leaned heavily onto his chest with his chin jutted sharply right in the middle of it. He was pouting and it made Steve smile. Steve ran his hand through Tony’s hair and asked, “Dating you is going to be insane, isn’t it?”

Tony grinned and replied, “But we’re going to have a lot of fun because of it!”

Steve rolled his eyes and grasped Tony’s face with both hands. He murmured affectionately, “Come here, you maniac.”

Tony met his lips with a chuckle and they fell back onto the couch, smiling and kissing without a care in the world.

\---

Tony did not exactly say the speech Pepper gave him precisely but he was straight to the point. He stated all the damning facts about Tyler and then followed it up with all the truthful facts about Steve. He finished it stating, “I hope everyone will see this trial for what it truly is and stand by us in our hardest hour. Thank you for listening, now I am going to get some fondue time with Steve.”

He walked off stage, waving to the gathered crowd and ignored the questions thrown at him.

Steve stood off stage and his face was an adorable hue of fire engine red. He was currently wearing a white shirt and khakis and blood rushed into Tony’s cock as he remembered helping Steve strip out of his uniform.

“ _Fondue_??”

Tony smirked as he grasped Steve’s hand and leaned into him. Steve frowned at him and Tony whispered, “My dad told me the story.”

Steve groaned and his already red face grew a shade darker. He moaned, “I thought I was the only one alive with the knowledge…”

Tony grinned and stood on the balls of his feet as he whispered into Steve’s ear, “All I can think about is all the different kinds of _fondue_ we can try.”

He didn’t think it was possible but Steve grew redder.

Tony heard the click of cameras behind them and he whispered, “The paparazzi need a show, my beloved boyfriend. How shall we let them capture us together now? A quick embrace? A gentle kiss? Or a slobbery French kiss that will make you quake in your socks?”

Steve lightly grasped Tony’s blazer and whispered, “How about instead we get out of here and continue our fondue conversation?”

Tony smirked and excitedly gasped, “I corrupted you. Dear God in heaven, I have turned your favorite son into a deviant!”

“Shut up,” Steve sighed and dragged him away.

“Fondue here I come!” Tony yelled loud enough for everyone to hear, “And when I say come I am talking about ejaculation because Steve and I are going to have amazing sex!”

The reporters started screaming questions in a frenzy and Tony laughed.

“ _TONY_!” Steve jerked him inside before he could say anything else.

Tony collapsed into Steve’s arms and stared stupidly in love up at him. Steve’s annoyed expression melted off from the warmth of his loving gaze. Steve sighed and wrapped his arms around Tony. He mumbled, “Please don’t announce to the press of all people whenever we are going to have sex.”

“How about Twitter? Can I tweet whenever I make you come?” Tony teased jokingly.

Steve’s flush returned and he groaned, “Don’t you dare.”

“True, it would break the internet!” Tony chuckled. He pressed into Steve and thought back to his statements to the press. His mood darkened with threat of the trial looming over Steve. What if Steve was charged guilty? What kind of future would he have then? He whispered, “I want to be with you, Steve…I will always stay by your side…no matter what.”

Steve sighed heavily and rested his head on top of Tony’s. He was quiet and Tony listened to Steve’s gentle breathing as he waited for him to speak. Steve finally whispered, “If…If this does not go according to plan…y-you—you don’t have to…”

Tony pressed his face into his boyfriend’s chest and reminded him, “I love you. No matter what happens, I am going to stick to your side, teasing and mortifying you all along the way…”

Steve’s hold tightened on him just slightly and his face pinched as he reigned in a flurry of emotions. Tony easily picked out his relief and Steve bowed his head as he hoarsely whispered, “Thank you.”

Tony cupped Steve’s neck and Steve’s sky blue eyes rose to meet his. Tony smiled at him and earnestly replied, “It’s no problem, Steve…”

Steve dropped into Tony’s hold and, with his lips only a breath away from Tony’s, he whispered, “I love you,” and kissed him deeply. Tony wound his arms around Steve’s head and neck and returned the kiss.

The preliminary hearing was just around the corner and Steve’s future was at stake. Both of them should have been freaking out about it but…all they wanted was each other. They had denied themselves already for so long…and, in the end, Tony knew with absolute certainty that whatever the verdict he was not going to let Tyler, a trial, the law, or anything else keep him from his man.

Tony would die for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN  
> Did I just foreshadow something or throw a red herring at you?? Only the future can tell! :D
> 
> Next week: Ch. 7 Tyler the Liar (the preliminary hearing occurs and the Avengers finally meet the woman who started all of this)
> 
> Btw, I wrote a really fluffy scene that I was unable to squeeze into this chapter, it will appear next chapter, but I will be (eventually) posting a part of it on my [tumblr](http://il0vsuperman.tumblr.com)! (eventually=either tonight or tomorrow) :]
> 
> Thanks for the kudos, the bookmarks, the comments, and for reading!
> 
> EDIT: With the comments I'm getting, I just want to assure you guys that I tag my fics appropriately! However, if you've read my other fics you'll find I am a big fan of "[Marvel Deaths](http://il0vsuperman.tumblr.com/post/124974166103/beben-eleben-a-summary-of-marvel-movies)!" :)  
> Whether or not a "Marvel Death" occurs, well only time will tell...


	7. Tyler the Liar

When Tony and Steve were finally able to tear themselves away from everybody else, they locked themselves in Tony’s apartment and hadn’t left since. From there they began what Tony would later on dub the Pre-Trial Sex Marathon of Awesomeness…and, if the official title didn’t give you any clues, in Tony’s humblest opinion, it was awesome.

Captain Steven Grant Rogers was an insatiable beast.

Tony wouldn’t have been able to tell how much time had passed if it weren’t for the all the technology around them. They never dressed and when they were awake it was spent either eating or fucking…or both.

The trial was always there, festering in the back of their minds and it made them more urgent and when they had sex they acted like they might never be able to make love with each other ever again.

Tony woke with these same thoughts four days in. Steve had crept over to Tony’s side of the bed in their sleep and was sharing his pillow with him. The sheets were tangled at their waists and Tony had unconsciously tugged the majority to his side again. Steve was spooning Tony from behind and Tony silently pressed himself deeper into his lover’s hold. Steve did not wake but his arm shifted tighter across his waist.

He glanced over his shoulder at Steve. His blond hair was deliciously mussed and his perfect, kissable lips were slightly parted as he breathed softly. Tony turned in Steve’s arms and gently pressed his face against his. Tony’s body ached all over from keeping up in his sexual escapades with a super soldier but it was a good ache. He stretched a few muscles, loving the burn. He could get used to this.

Steve mumbled something under his breath as Tony’s movements jostled him. Tony melted into Steve and stilled. Steve fell back into his deep sleep and Tony started to lightly run his fingertips over the groves in Steve’s chest muscles.

Tony loved how soft Steve’s features were as he slept. He rarely got to see it as Tony needed more sleep than Steve because his body exhausted itself faster.

Tony was thinking about wanting to ingrain the image in his mind forever when he thought of his phone. Tony stopped breathing for just a second and then slowly pulled out of Steve’s arms just enough to reach for his phone sitting on the bedside table.

Steve’s face pinched just as Tony touched it and Tony tensed, expecting to be caught in the act. With his phone in hand, he slipped back into Steve’s side and Steve relaxed. Tony waited until he was sure Steve was under before he pulled out his phone and took a picture of the adorable face of sleeping virtue that was his boyfriend.

He immediately made the photo his wallpaper and screensaver and paused to smile happily at the image. His heart swelled and he turned back to the real deal. He put the phone down and lightly kissed Steve’s chin. His hand snaked over his side and then groped his ass. Steve’s hips automatically shifted forward, pressing his cock into Tony’s and Tony muffled his chuckle into Steve’s cheek.

Steve’s eyed flickered open and he lazily smiled at Tony.

“Good morning, beloved,” Tony whispered and lightly kissed Steve’s lips.

Steve returned the kiss with an appreciative hum and whispered, “Good morning, honey… It’s really morning already?”

Tony lifted his phone to check the time and replied, “Yup, just a little after nine.”

Steve pushed the screen toward him when he caught sight of himself on it and playfully asked, “What is that?”

“Oh, my boyfriend,” Tony teased. “Cute, isn’t he?”

Steve chuckled and said, “You know, my boyfriend might beat yours in the cute department, especially in the mornings. He has the rosiest cheeks.”

Steve leaned over and pressed one of the said cheeks with many little kisses. Tony turned his head to claim Steve’s lips with his own and Steve accepted his lips with a happy hum.

Tony leaned back into the bed as Steve shifted himself into his arms. Steve positioned himself over Tony and then pressed his body into him so they were touching from their chests to their legs. They both were starting to harden and rubbed into each other to encourage the process along.

Tony wrapped his legs around Steve’s waist and groaned when his lover bit into the flesh of his shoulder. Steve, always thinking of his needs first, assaulted his flesh with playful nips and a lavishing tongue. Steve was a virgin when they first made love but he was a fast learner and already knew the majority of Tony’s sweet spots.

They made love slowly like they usually did when one or both were half awake. Tony came first and he watched Steve as he fell apart next. Steve collapsed on top of him and then rolled off with a breathless chuckle.

Tony turned his head to look at Steve and sniggered when he saw the happy smile on his face. He murmured, “Aw, I gotta get a picture of that.” He dug around the sheets as he searched for his phone and Steve discretely covered his waist.

Tony raised the phone and Steve cautioned, “Do not post this online.”

Tony leaned back in order to capture all of Steve in the photo and his boyfriend both blushed and puffed out his chest making Tony smirk. He sultrily teased, “Never, Steve.”

He snapped the photo. Steve was laying down, propped up slightly on the pillows. He had one arm over his head and wrapped around a pillow. The sheet totally covered him from the waist down but the flush to Steve’s flesh was a telltale sign of what had just occurred.

Tony fell back into the pillows and held out the phone to Steve and stated, “My boyfriend is one sexy beast.”

Steve snorted as he looked at the photo on the phone and then he turned the phone on Tony and said, “Smile.”

Tony grinned and flexed himself out on full display, he spared no modesty with a sheet like Steve did. Steve blushed and took the picture. His eyes lingered on Tony and not the phone as he did it. He turned the screen toward him and Tony laughed as soon as his eyes landed on it. Steve had made sure the picture cut off just above his waist but it was low enough that anyone who saw it would know he was naked and proud.

“I’m sending this to your phone,” Tony said with a flirtatious smirk to Steve. Steve grinned excitedly and lay his head on his shoulder to watch him send the message.

Once it was sent, Steve murmured, “Let’s get one together.”

Tony obliged and turned his camera back on. They pressed closer to each other and Tony snapped a photo as they both smiled at the screen. Steve moved in, kissed his cheek, and Tony snapped another photo. Steve grasped the side of his face and drew his mouth to his prompting Tony to take another picture. As their kissing progressed, Tony was able to snap a few more photos before he dropped his phone and devoted his full attention to Steve.

After their make out session, they leaned back into the pillows and each other as they looked through the photos.

They cooed and chuckled until they got to the last picture.

Apparently, when Tony dropped his phone, it had taken one last picture.

“Oh my God—,” Steve gasped, his face turning bright red.

“Yesssssss,” Tony hissed excitedly. He sat up and brought the phone closer to his face to get a better look.

“No, you have to delete that!” Steve gasped, reaching for the phone.

Tony pulled the phone away and kept admiring the accidental picture. He stated, “But it captured my favorite part of you!”

“ _Tony_!”

“I’ll call it Mt. Rogers. No wait, it got both of your ass cheeks, how about, the Rogers Mountains?”

“Tony, I swear to God—!”

“What? It’s not like I’m going to post this online! This will be saved to my private collection...”

“If you show anyone…” Steve began to threaten, his face blushing adorably.

“I promise to not show a soul…my picture however…” Tony opened the near-nude photo Steve had taken of him earlier and quickly sent it to the team’s group messaging. Steve groaned and murmured something incomprehensible about social norms into his shoulder.

Tony sent out with the photo: ‘Beautiful morning, isn’t it?’

The first to reply was Clint with: ‘MY EYES!!!!! x_x’

Tony laughed and Steve rolled his eyes. Tony reopened the photos they just took and paused at the first one they had taken together. Their heads were pressed together and they were both smiling sweetly at the camera. You could tell they were lying in bed but it cut off at their necks so no one would be able to tell they were shirtless nonetheless naked. Tony asked, “Can we post this one online?”

Steve peered at the photo and then nodded his consent. Tony grinned and posted it to his Twitter with the hastags #loveofmylife and #happy. Steve kissed his cheek and murmured, “I’m so happy too.”

They beat the record of most tweeted in an hour.

\---

Sadly, they could not stay locked away in Tony’s apartment forever.

Eventually, they ventured back into the team’s common area. Tony had texted ahead to tell the others they were finally coming out and they were all waiting for them. Steve held Tony’s hand in his without notice and when they came to a stop, Tony leaned into his side. Over a week earlier, Steve would have been fumbling from Tony’s touch but now his presence at Steve’s side was as natural as breathing.

Everyone was sitting on the couch and they all called out greetings. Clint raised his arms like a referee, signaling goal, and announced, “The honeymoon faze is complete!”

“Far from it!” Tony countered. He wrapped his arms around Steve and mock humped him like a dog.

Steve shook him off, muffling a laugh, and admonished, “ _Tony_!”

Tony stopped but kept Steve in his embrace and smiled warmly at him. Steve wrapped a single arm around his shoulders, unable to be annoyed with the man, and turned back to the others. He asked his friends, “So what have we missed?”

“Lots of gossip about the trial and examining your lives for any information on your relationship,” Natasha replied.

“Oooooh, I can’t wait to read all the theories,” Tony stated.

“Some are _hilarious_ ,” Clint stated, leaning forward excitedly in his seat.

“The _Enquisitor_ says you two are already married and Tony is pregnant with Steve’s super baby,” Bruce stated with a small smile. Tony laughed falling into Steve’s side.

“I suddenly have the strangest urge to complain about morning sickness,” Tony chuckled, raising his phone.

Steve grabbed his phone and gasped, “Please don’t! People might actually believe you!”

Tony laughed, his eyes crinkling at the edges as he did, and he put his phone back into his pocket. He pulled on Steve’s hand and they went over to the empty spot on the couch. One by one, the others told them some of the more amusing things the media had come up with about their relationship. It was entertaining, sometimes it was alarming, and a lot of it was ridiculous.

“Cripes Steve,” Tony teased, elbowing his side lightly. “People think that serum did a lot of… _interesting_ things to you…”

Steve rolled his eyes, flushing slightly. Apparently, Steve had a super dick along with super strength.

Tony’s phone pinged lightly and he picked it up as he snickered to Steve’s reply. His chuckles stopped as he looked at the screen and the smile fell off his face.

“Tony?”

“Your preliminary hearing has been scheduled for next week,” Tony stated and the smile melted off Steve’s face too.

Steve looked down at the phone and read the text from Pepper himself.

“Oh…” He whispered and the great, happy feeling he’d been feeling the last few days, suddenly receded from him like a fast moving tide. Steve grasped Tony’s hand, not out love but out of apprehension.

It was happening.

“…I’ve been reading up on the New York judicial system,” Bruce murmured from Tony’s side. “If you can poke enough holes in the prosecution’s evidence during the hearing then the trial won’t happen.”

“The DNA is evidence enough,” Steve stated morosely. He leaned into Tony and lay his head on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and tried to get the good feeling back.

Instead, it felt like the worry was evolving into a cluster of twisting snakes in his belly.

Tony tightened his hold on him and whispered vehemently, “Don’t give up just yet, Steve! We can fight this!”

Steve nodded but he did not feel any better.

Tony pressed a kiss into Steve’s forehead and repeated, “ _We can fight this_!”

\---

In the time spent before the hearing, Tony was with him nearly every waking moment. He was the first thing he saw when he woke up in the morning and the last thing he saw at night. Tony made him happier than he’d ever been but there was always that little anxious feeling in the back of his head. He’d wake up in the middle of the night and instantly feared he was alone and in prison.

He'd then toss and turn the rest of the night and worry about his future. Steve was innocent. Would he run if he was proven guilty? What of Tony? He couldn’t ask him to run with him. They’d be fugitives for life…but they’d probably wouldn’t even make it far. Everyone knew what they looked like… so they would have to live like hermits in the wild…with no technology…and he couldn’t do that to Tony…But he knew he’d never do it in the first place. Running was a fantasy. In reality, Steve would let them take him and humbly serve his sentence despite the injustice.

If he couldn't run, his only other option was to spend years locked away and forever considered a rapist by the rest of the world.

Could he live with that?...Could Tony?

Doubts ate away at him and every day the hearing drew nearer Steve became less sure of everything.

On the day of, Tony helped him dress into his formal Captain’s uniform, gifted to him by the Army years prior. Steve’s fingers shook as he tried to button his sleeve. Tony gently placed his hands over Steve’s and carefully buttoned the corner of his sleeve for him. Tony patted down the cloth around the button and then raised his hands to pat down Steve’s chest.

“It’s going to be alright in the end,” Tony whispered. Steve’s eyes rose and met Tony’s gaze. Tony was tense and he smiled diminutively at him. He continued, “There’s no way the U.S. government is going to let Captain _America_ get locked up.”

Steve nodded unable to open his mouth without fear of vomiting. He’d never been so nervous going into battle. When he fought he, at least had some control of the outcome but, in this, he had no way to fight. He’d already done all he could by “faking” a relationship with Tony. Even with an honest to God relationship with the man did nothing to stem favor. Tony’s lawyers were the ones fighting in the trial and all Steve could do was sit beside them and wait.

That waiting was what scared him the most.

Tony rubbed his arms and whispered, “I’ll be behind you the entire time.”

Steve nodded again, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. He clenched his fists, wishing for the weight of his shield in his hands.

They had a quick breakfast with the team but neither of them ate much…in fact, no one ate much, even Thor. The Norse God spent most of his meal polishing his hammer and glaring in the general direction of the coffee pot.

Tony had only sipped at his coffee and Steve nibbled at his toast.

Pepper came to pick them up. Steve, Tony, and the rest of the team left together. His friends were coming as a show of support and would sit behind Steve during the proceedings.

The car ride was even quieter than breakfast and Steve never once let go of Tony nor adjust his grip.

They were followed by reporters from the moment they left the Tower. Their vans were like an unconventional escort that shadowed their every move. When they reached the courthouse, they saw that police had to set up a barricades to make a walkway for them to the building.

Beyond the barricades, were reporters but everyday citizens were there as well. One side held supporters, holding signs proclaiming their backing, and on the other side was a gathering of protestors against him. It was the latter group Steve’s eyes focused on. They were already worked into a frenzy and chanting for his conviction. They held signs calling for him to abdicate his shield and saying he was going to hell.

“Remember, hold your head high, Steve. You are innocent,” Pepper stated as the car slowed to a stop.

Steve nodded and the car became stationary. Everyone looked to Steve to make the first move. Steve closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and stilled his shaking hands by gripping his thighs tightly. He snapped open his eyes and stated, “Let’s go.”

He was the first to get out, quickly followed by Tony. His boyfriend was at his side immediately and grasped his hand tightly.

Reporters surged at the barriers the police set up and officers were on them immediately, preventing them from getting past. They were yelling out questions but he could not hear them over the clangor of the protestors. They all started to scream obscenities and other hateful words at Steve. Some even directed their hate toward Tony. Steve blocked them out the best he could and looked down to Tony for encouragement. Tony was tense but he smiled warmly at him and whispered, “Let’s go.”

Steve nodded and was the one to lead Tony through the barriers. Tony stuck close to his side and because of that Steve was able to hold his head high and keep his face expressionless as he made his way into the courthouse.

Once they were inside Steve paused just inside the main room and waited for everyone else to file in. When the door closed and the reporters and protesters’ voices were muffled, Steve released the breath he had been holding in a loud rush of air. Tony placed a hand on his chest and asked with concern, “Are you alright?”

Steve placed his hand over Tony’s and whispered, “I’m okay. I’m just on edge…” He tapped Tony’s hand against his chest and his eyes spanned the room, falling on the lawyers waiting on them, and he quietly repeated to reassure himself, “I’m okay…”

“We’re going to go ahead, Steve,” Bruce murmured and Steve nodded. Bruce, the rest of the Avengers, and Pepper went down the hall to where his hearing would be held. Tony wordlessly stayed by his side and they walked over to the lawyers.

Tony’s lawyers had been reduced to a smaller team. Four of them were there, probably to make defending Steve a little more manageable. The others were mostly busily preparing for the trial. Marcel was leading them and directed the other three’s attention to Steve and Tony.

“Hello Mr. Stark, Captain Rogers,” Marcel said with a nod.

Steve nodded in greeting and Tony forwent the greeting and said, “You guys ready to go?”

“The witnesses for the defense, yourself included, are ready and the documentation on Ms. Tyler, Ms. Potts collected for us, has been inputted as evidence. We are as ready as we’ll ever be,” the man promptly retorted.

“What do you think the outcome will be?” Steve asked breathlessly, finally finding his voice.

Marcel kept his face blank but something flashed in his eyes. He covertly glanced at Tony then shifted his gaze back to Steve and replied, “In a preliminary hearing, all the prosecution has to do is prove they have sufficient evidence…we can fight back, but DNA is considered irrefutable evidence…”

“But once the judge hears our testimony, he’ll have to admit the prosecution is in the wrong!” Tony interceded angrily.

“Perhaps,” Marcel replied and Tony bared his teeth as he snarled.

Steve grabbed his shoulder and quickly pacified, “We’re telling the truth, Tony. The judge will hear that.”

Tony nodded but was frowning.

“Sir, we’re going to have to take the Captain into the courtroom now,” the lone female in the group of lawyers interceded.

“I’ll see you inside,” Steve whispered and bent down to lightly kiss Tony. Tony returned the kiss but that frown remained in place when they separated.

Steve lightly ran his thumb over Tony’s cheek and tried to smile the best he could. He stepped away from Tony and he instantly felt unsteady without him at his side. He only walked a few steps away before having to look over his shoulder to see Tony. Maybe he had just never noticed it before, they had led the team together and were best friends, and so they were always close. So, although they had only “really” been together for a little over a week, Steve had already found Tony to be an essential part of his life.

Once again, he fearfully wondered what would happen to them if Steve was prosecuted.

Steve followed the lawyers into the courtroom and, as he stepped in, his eyes landed on Susan Tyler for the first time. She was a young woman with long, curly, mousy brown hair and a pale complexion. She was too far away to see her eye color but Steve could tell her eyes were dark. She met his eyes from across the room. Her gaze was indifferent, like she did not care that she was ruining his life. She was the first to look away and faced forward.

Steve stared at her, shocked by her heartless attitude.

“Don’t look at her,” one of the lawyers whispered and Steve’s eyes snapped forward.

Steve was ushered to the defense’s table and Tony quickly took the seat Natasha had saved for him directly behind Steve. He reached forward and grasped Steve shoulder reassuringly and Steve placed his hand over Tony’s and smiled gratefully at him.

If Tony weren’t there Steve would have probably already cracked at that point.

“All rise,” the bailiff announced, signaling to the court that the judge was entering. Tony let go of his shoulder as they both got to their feet.

The preliminary hearing had begun.

The defense went first bringing forth character witnesses for Steve, evidence of Tyler’s stealing from the Tower, and medical records on her mental incapacities.

Tony was called to testify before Steve. He kept up the lie of being with Steve for two years but everything else he told was the absolute truth. He testified to having carnal knowledge that Steve was only attracted to males and did so with such a lecherous grin that made it Steve blush. His lawyers asked him about their relationship and about Steve. Tony got a wistful expression on his face and he said, “Steve is the most caring and nicest person I know. He would never do this. He wouldn’t even _think_ of doing this…” Tony met his eyes and pointedly told him, “Steve, you are good and anyone who says differently is an absolute liar.”

Steve smiled sweetly at him and silently worded, ‘Thank you’ to Tony.

When Tony was returning to his seat and Steve took his place in the witness box, they reached out to each other and their fingertips brushed in passing. A shadow of Tony’s touch remained on his skin and Steve clenched his fist as if to hold the invisible hand that was there.

Steve testified to his innocence and clarified what Tony had said, he was not attracted to women and had never been. He also stated that today was the first time he had ever seen Susan Tyler and as soon as the words left his mouth, the indifferent expression on Tyler’s face burned away and became venomous.

“LIAR!” She screeched and lunged toward him from her seat behind the prosecution. One of the lawyers from the prosecution grabbed her and she struggled to get to Steve. “You’ve seen me!” She hissed, her gaze was wild and she looked like she would kill him.

The judged banged his gavel loudly, yelling, “ORDER! ORDER IN THE COURT!”

The prosecution were shushing the young woman, trying to get her to calm down, but she was screeching like a wild animal and would not stop as she tried to claw her way to Steve. She stared at Steve with eyes that were mad with rage and need.

“Bailiff! Remove Ms. Tyler!” The judge ordered. The bailiff ran forward followed by another uniformed court enforcer and they both pulled Tyler away from the lawyers. They dragged her out of the court, kicking and screaming.

Steve watched it all in shock and was at a loss for words. He didn’t even hear his lawyer’s questioning him until the judge leaned in and loudly stated, “Captain Rogers!”

Steve blinked at him owlishly and then looked to his lawyer, standing right in front of him. His lawyer asked, “Captain Rogers, would you like to take a break?”

“N-No,” Steve stuttered, still unnerved by Tyler’s reaction. “I-I can continue.”

His lawyer nodded and moved on with the questioning, asking Steve about his original alibi and what he was doing the day of the supposed rape.

The prosecution elected not to question him as they did with the rest of the defense’s witnesses. Steve returned to his seat, still shaken and nervous about the rest of the hearing. The defense produced the evidence to naysay the conviction and they had no control as to what the prosecution would present…This was only a hearing, not a trial. His lawyers had already informed him that they could not object unless they knew the prosecution were presenting false evidence.

The detectives on the case were called to the stand first and they gave their testimony on the investigation. It was odd to hear how they viewed Steve. With the belief that he was a rapist, they twisted his reactions from their interview to make Steve seem more callous and unfeeling. Steve couldn’t look at them as they demolished his character.

Behind him, he could hear Tony grumbling darkly under his breath until finally he jumped to his feet and yelled, “That man has no right to say those things about Steve! I was there and he was anything but _unsympathetic_! THIS IS ALL SLANDER!!”

The judge slammed his gavel and yelled, “Sit down, Mr. Stark! If I hear one more outburst from you, I will have you removed from the court!”

Steve heart leapt into his throat. He needed Tony! He couldn’t let them take him away!

Steve spun around and grasped Tony’s hands to calm him down. He whispered, “It’s alright, Tony. Don’t worry about what they’re saying…”

Tony looked down at him with glassy eyes and a clenched jaw. He was clenching his jaw so tightly, Steve was surprised his teeth hadn’t cracked from the pressure. He shushed soothingly to him, petting his hands, and Tony gingerly sat down with a resigned expression. Steve collected both his hands and kissed his knuckles, whispering, “Thank you for standing up for me, honey.”

Tony’s eyes flashed with pain and he whispered, “This is wrong.”

Steve smiled sadly at him and replied in a hushed tone, “Everything about this is wrong.”

“Captain!” The judge called out to him, “Please face forward and stop interacting with the witness.”

Steve squeezed Tony’s hands one last time and faced forward. He murmured to the judge, “Sorry, your honor.”

The judge nodded and looked to the prosecutor to continue his questioning.

Yet before the prosecutor could get out a single word, there was a rustling behind him and the entire courtroom became deathly silent. Steve turned back around, expecting he was going to have to calm Tony down again.

What he didn’t expect was to see Bruce be the one standing and interrupting the proceeding. Bruce was visibly shaking with his fists clenched at his waist and his eyes a dangerous shade of green.

Tony was not the only one to be upset by the inflammatory testimony.

Steve froze and watched Bruce’s chest to keep an eye on his breathing. If it got any faster Steve knew they would have the Hulk to deal with in a matter of seconds. Anything could set him off. Steve prayed to God that the judge did not smash his gavel.

“…Bruce,” Tony whispered cautiously. His anger had melted away in the face of a gamma-radiated disaster standing beside him.

Bruce inhaled deeply through his nose and slowly stated, “I think…I need to be excused…”

Bruce unsteadily stepped to the side and Tony sat up straighter to give Bruce enough room. Bruce’s feet tapped loudly on the linoleum floor as the entire courtroom watched him slip away. As Bruce walked up the main walkway, he stopped shaking but his head fell down from his melancholy. Steve looked to Tony and they locked eyes. He saw Tony was at war with himself from wanting to stay there with Steve and going to help his conflicted friend. Steve nodded him on and Tony shot to his feet with a grateful expression.

“I will be right back,” Tony whispered in promise.

Steve watched him run to Bruce’s side and gently wrapped his arm around their friend’s tense shoulders. Together, they walked out of the room and no one said a word until the doors closed behind them.

Steve slowly faced forward and the prosecutor nervously cleared his throat.

“Y-Your honor?”

The judge was noticeably paler and hoarsely stated, “You may proceed.”

The prosecutor nodded and turned back to the detective and started questioning him again.

Steve stopped listening to the detective’s testimony at that point and instead focused on his own breathing. It was a meditative technique he had learned from Bruce. Steve ironically wondered if he and Bruce were doing the exercises together in separate rooms.

Up next was the medical examiner who testified to the validity of the DNA match between the samples Steve provided and the semen found on Tyler’s clothes. Steve did not looked at the examiner as he testified but at the judge and looked for any sign that he believed it. However, the judge’s expression remained schooled since the beginning of the hearing and, even with this critical bit of evidence, he continued to reveal none of his thoughts on the matter.

Tony slipped in as the medical examiner got off the stand. He returned to his seat and whispered to Steve and the rest of the team, “Bruce is alright, he’s calmed down. He’s going to hang outside until the hearings over however.”

Steve did not turn around but he did nod to let Tony know he had heard.

Other witnesses came forward to testify about the evidence collected but Steve had to block them out as the case against him grew…until Tyler was called forward.

She was led back into the courtroom by the bailiff. She was poised with an indifferent expression again and showed none of the fervor from when Steve testified. She pointedly did not look at Steve until she sat at the witness stand. She only met his eyes for a mere second but in that small interval she found the time to haughtily smirk. She cast her eyes elsewhere and the nervous bile that had been bubbling unpleasantly in his stomach suddenly boiled over with rage.

_Was this a game to her?_

“Tony,” Natasha hissed urgently under her breath. Steve heard her restrain his boyfriend, probably stopping him from jumping to his feet again. He had to have seen the condescending smirk too.

Without turning around, Steve twisted his shoulder and reached behind him, placing his hand on the wooden barrier between where Steve was sitting and where Tony was. He did not look back but he heard Tony stop struggling and, after a short pause, Tony’s warm hand was placed on top of his. Tony’s squeezed his hand tightly and Steve reluctantly pulled his hand away when the bailiff gave him the stink eye. Steve cradled his hand as Tyler made her statement.

She began monotonously, talking about her cleaning duties at the Tower but then she got more emotional and her eyes got a faraway look as she spoke of the attack and described it in great detail.

She claimed to have been cleaning Steve’s room when he forcibly pushed her onto the bed and raped her. She recounted every imaginary touch and word he said in great detail. He apparently said he had wanted her from the moment he saw her, that he loved the way she felt, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

She then testified to not telling anyone about what happened, fearing for her job but when Steve got her fired for not returning his affections, she finally came forward.

The only time she looked at him again was to state, “Steven is not gay. The whole time I worked in the Tower I never saw him nor Mr. Stark interact intimately. It’s obviously all a lie to discredit me. They’re friends so of course Mr. Stark would help him but Steven doesn’t love him. He loves me.”

It was one of the most disturbing and disgusting things Steve had ever heard.

He literally almost vomited right there.

The woman was deranged and she was going to destroy him.

After Tyler testified, a doctor was called up. He testified to Tyler's emotional instability was due to the trauma of the attack. He explained away her insanity with a long winded medical explanation that sent chills down Steve's spine.

Recess was called as the judge needed time to go over the evidence provided before making his decision.

Steve instantly turned around and threw his arms around Tony. He buried his face into his boyfriend’s shoulder, trying to get a hold of the bile rising in his throat.

“She’s insane,” Tony hissed into his scalp. He tightly wound his arms around Steve’s back and whispered, “The judge had to see that! There is no way he’s going to convict you after seeing how crazy she is!”

Steve nodded and hope finally gurgled in his stomach. Tony was correct. Anyone in their right mind would see that woman was unhinged. Maybe they would beat the prosecution in the hearing after all.

The judge returned after twenty minutes. Everyone rose as he reentered the room and sat after he did. Steve nervously stared at him and anxiously waited as the judge settled into his seat.

Finally, the judge announced, “Given the evidence, I cannot confidently dismiss this case. The trial will take place a month to this day. We are adjourned.”

The judge knocked his gavel loudly upon the wood and the noise reverberated through Steve. He stared blankly at the judge’s podium as the information slowly trickled into his brain. Behind him, Tony angrily yelled at the judge but his voice was muffled and echoed. Steve did not have enough brain function to understand what he was saying.

All he could compute was the fact that the prosecution won the hearing.

Steve was going to trial for an assault he did not commit.

…And with the DNA evidence…he was going to lose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soooo mean to Steve... and will keep being mean! Hehehehe  
> Thanks for reading! :D
> 
> Next time, Chapter 8: Safe in Your Arms


	8. Safe In Your Arms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An Anon pointed out some legalities to me so I reworded the judge's verdict at the end of the hearing and also added a second testifier! It's only about a paragraph of information and it doesn't change the verdict but you're welcome to reread the end and make yourself more frustrated with it! :D

Someone had managed to record the hearing with a hidden camera despite the judge ruling that it would be a closed session. The video was blurry but picked up all the voices that testified…including Tyler’s.

Her testimony was like fuel to the flames for the doubters of their relationship.

“Other employees from the Avengers’ Tower have come forward and said the same thing: Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers are friends and nothing more. This whole thing is probably a sham to protect the Captain from a rape charge. We have seen the rich and powerful lie about even greater things in order to escape a guilty plea. This is just anoth—.”

The TV turned off and Steve flinched. He was caught. He guiltily turned around to see Tony holding the remote. Tony was frowning and hissed, “Don’t watch that filth.”

“…It’s true though, we did lie,” Steve whispered. His chest felt hallow and empty. It had felt this way since they left the court. He had been in shock since the judge read off his verdict the day before.

The anger melted away and concern flickered across Tony’s expression. He crossed the room, rounding the couch, and sat next to Steve. He grasped Steve’s hand and vehemently stated, “We are together and love each other. _That is not a lie_.”

“But we weren’t when Tyler says she was attacked…nor for the two years we claimed to be together… _those are the lies_ , Tony.” Steve dropped his head forward until it lightly bumped into his boyfriend’s shoulder. The relationship between them may no longer be fake but its history was…He murmured, “Maybe we should just tell the truth…”

Tony leaned in and whispered, “If we did, you’d be discredited. Everyone would think you really did rape her…” Tony sighed and picked up Steve’s head with both of his hands. When their eyes met, he stated, “What you just watched is only the belief of a small percent of the country. _You were watching Fox News for Christsake_ , it’s not even a reputable news station! They’re ignoring the fact that she is clearly Norman Bates incarnate! Other news channels are picking up on it. They’re beginning to question the validity of her statements. _Watch those stations_ , watch the clips of me standing up for my man!” Steve chuckled and Tony smiled. Tony ran his hand through Steve’s hair and promised, “You are going to beat this.”

Steve smiled and nodded but he could not help but ironically think that Tony had said the same thing for the preliminary hearing. He pushed the thought away but he could feel it festering in the back of his mind.

They sat down together to watch an inane reality show that had nothing to do with either of them nor the trial. They cuddled and joked about the state of the human race as they watched the overdramatized and petty bickering. Yet their jesting all came to an end when the priority alarm went off.

Steve and Tony jumped to their feet and immediately went to the elevator. Steve needed his shield and Tony his suit.

“…Master Rogers, I am sorry but you cannot help,” Jarvis stated. “The call for the Avengers is in Florida.”

Steve slowed to a stop as Jarvis’s statement dawned on him.

“The sunshine state hasn’t banned Steve from crossing its borders, Jarvis,” Tony chipped, an annoyed edge to his voice as he did not understand why the AI was trying to stop Steve.

“But the state of New York says I cannot leave its borders while I’m out on bail,” Steve stated with a forced smile but his voice came out huskier than he meant it to. Steve’s smile shook as the realization crossed Tony’s face and sorrow grew in his gaze.

“ _Steve_ ,” Tony said, his voice laced with concern. He reached out to Steve and Steve stepped back, shaking his head.

With a wobbly smile, Steve stated, “Don’t worry about me. _Go_! The Avengers are needed. I will do what I can on this end.”

“I can connect Master Rogers to the same feed I am connected to in your suit, Sir. He will be aware of the battle at all times and will be able to communicate with you.”

“There you go,” Steve said. “Half my job is telling you guys what to do anyways…Go Tony. If whatever is happening in Florida warrants a call to the Avengers then they are going to need your help.”

Tony was frowning but he nodded and quickly embraced Steve tightly before running to the elevator. As soon as he disappeared, Steve stumbled back and collapsed onto the couch. He caught his head in his hands and internally battled with a hurricane of emotions.

This was the final straw.

Needless to say, Steve was already feeling like crap already with the impending trial, the resulting hate mail, the insinuations brought up by the media, and, most importantly, by the very fact that someone would actually _do this_ to him.

Yet, the fact that he could not help his friends fight, was what finally crushed his spirit. It was frustrating, it was disheartening…but mostly, it made him feel useless.

All his life all he wanted to do was help people and now…he couldn’t even do that…

He could have gone with Tony. It would have been easy and none of his friends would have stopped him if he was adamant enough.

Yet he held back, knowing he’d have a warrant out for his arrest as soon as he crossed the state line. He knew going against his bail agreement and being jailed would look really bad in a trial. The prosecution would paint him as a deviant who doesn’t follow the law. So Steve would stay there…and every person who was hurt or killed as a result would weigh heavily on his conscience for the rest of his life…

With these dark thoughts in mind, Steve clasped his hands together, strangling his fingers, and asked Jarvis, “Can you please play the video feed here?”

“Yes, Master Rogers,” Jarvis replied and the reality show disappeared and in its place was blue sky and clouds streaking by as Tony flew to south.

“Am I connected?”

“You are now,” Jarvis replied.

Steve sighed heavily, dismay weighing heavily on his heart. He took a deep breath and strengthened his voice to sound like he was ready, able, and about to fight with them as he asked the team, “What are you flying into?”

\---

Steve felt guilty whenever the team left for missions without him. He blamed himself for every hurt civilian, every lost life, and even all the destroyed property. He felt, if he had been there, things might have turned out differently. He might have made a difference and saved one more life. That one life could have amounted to a mother, a father, a brother, a sister, or any loved one who was unjustly taken before his or her time…

But that guilt amounted to nothing compared to the overwhelming remorse he felt when Tony came back from one of those fights with a few broken ribs.

“It’s alright,” Tony reassured him, his brow knotted with pain. White bandages had already been wrapped around his torso on the flight back in the quinjet. He was currently slouched over in his seat and didn’t rise to great Steve like he usually did. It was too painful for him to rise and he stubbornly refused any pain medication. His brows were knotted tightly together as he roughly stated, “It’s all a part of the job.”

Despite his words, for the rest of the day, Steve found himself wincing every time Tony did. He followed him around the Tower and helped him with whatever he could, even the minimal tasks like opening a door. It made Tony roll his eyes but he humored Steve and let him baby him.

When they finally went down for bed, Steve carefully wrapped his arms around Tony but Tony still grunted painfully from his touch. Steve instantly flinched back feeling horrible for causing him more pain. He scooted back, planning to give Tony as much room as possible as he slept.

“Oh no you don’t,” Tony grumbled and scooted along with Steve. Tony settled himself down at Steve’s side and then wrapped Steve arms around him with calculated precision. He did not grunt as he did this but Steve could see his jaw clenched tightly. Eventually, they were situated and, as soon as Tony’s head hit the pillow, he was out in seconds but Steve was not so lucky. He stared at his boyfriend’s bandages for a long time before finally slipping into a restless sleep.

It was there that a new nightmare blossomed.

He dreamed of Tony falling from his outstretched hand like Bucky had.

He dreamed of terror, blood, gore, and his lover’s death.

In his final moments, with blood dripping from his mouth, Tony gurgled through the blood, “Why didn’t you save me?”

Steve woke with a sharp gasp, reaching out to the bloody Tony.

“Steve?” Tony murmured sleepily. Tony lightly reached out and touched the corner of Steve’s hip. Steve was sitting up with one hand stretched out in from of him and away from Tony, pointed to the phantom whose image was now engrained in his eyes.

He turned to Tony, his eyes wild as he searched for the blood he saw only moments ago, and gasped, “I’m fine…J-Just a bad dream.”

Despite knowing it was a dream, he checked Tony over as he lay next to him. Tony silently watched him with tired eyes as Steve lightly ran his hands over him. He eventually grasped Steve’s hand halting his worried checkup.

Tony murmured, “It was a dream, Steve. C’mere.” He pulled Steve into an embrace and sighed contently when Steve lay his head on Tony’s chest. “No boogeyman is gonna pull me out of your arms,” Tony promised. “No one is strong enough to pull me away from you, super soldier. You’re stuck with me for life.”

Relaxing into Tony’s arms, Steve sarcastically whispered, “Oh, the horror.”

Tony snickered and whispered, “You know you’ll love it.”

Steve lightly ran his hand over Tony’s arm and smiled to himself as he imagined such a life with Tony. They had yet to have a chance to really sit down and talk about the future but seeing Tony at his side and still sharing his bed years from now sounded…perfect.

Steve upturned his head to kiss the corner of Tony’s jaw and murmured, “I _am_ going to love it.”

\---

Tony could tell Steve was depressed. He wanted to enfold Steve in his arms and shield him from all the things in the world that were hurting him…Yet, no matter how much money he had or what he could build with all of his genius, he could not protect Steve.

As they waited for the trial, they gave a few “in-depth” interviews to some of the more supportive news stations. Mostly they wanted to talk about their stance on the case but always had to end off the interview with a little tidbits about their personal lives, namely their relationship. With the interviews, the tide was turning. Poles were showing more support for Steve.

But the interviews were a double-edged sword and Steve became stressed by every single one. It was after one particular interview that they discussed the lie of how they had started dating, did Tony find his boyfriend in their dressing room with his face buried in his hands.

Tony closed the door behind him and whispered, “Steve?”

“…I can’t take much more of this,” Steve whispered, without lifting his head. “I thought faking a relationship was going to be hard but faking our history – _I hate having to lie_. I don’t want what we have to be a lie! I want to tell them the truth. How we were both in love with each other and how this fiasco got us to realize it! I-I don’t want this fakeness.”

Tony sat beside him on the tiny couch, his leg pressing into Steve’s thigh, and he lightly rubbed circles into Steve’s back. He wanted it too but he easily accepted they could not tell it. It did not bother him to the extent it was bothering Steve. Perhaps it was because he was used to always using a different face with the media. Steve never before lied to them. He was always open and honest and having to lie, especially about their relationship, must have been taxing. Tony whispered, “Just a little longer, baby…”

Steve leaned heavily into Tony and he burrowed his face into the crook of his neck with a heavy sigh. Steve’s breath was hot against his skin and his head felt heavier than usual. Tony petted his hair for a few moments, trying to physically comfort his boyfriend the best he could, until he was suddenly inspired.

His hand froze in Steve’s scalp and he whispered, “Steve…how about we go on that first date?”

Steve perked up and lifted his head to look questionably at Tony.

Tony continued, “The one we keep talking about? A dinner date on the roof and dancing in my lab? We don’t have to lie about it anymore if we actually do it. How does that sound?”

Steve smiled sadly and whispered, “According to our story, I’m supposed to be the one who asks.”

Tony rolled his eyes and said, “Oh, you want to go through the whole charade? Ok…hem, hey Steve guess what I’m bi and ‘single!’ Isn’t that interesting? I like your ass by the way,” Tony used a high pitched voice and Steve chuckled.

Steve leaned his chest into Tony’s shoulder and placed a hand over Tony’s arc reactor. Steve replied in an equally mocking voice, “Bi? Single? I would have never guessed! Hey, did you know I am gay and I think you’re kind of hot? Maybe we should date? How about tonight? Dinner, on top of the Tower?”

“It’s a date,” Tony replied cheekily.

Steve’s eyes were dancing and his smile was still a little sad but was bigger than before and was filled with gratitude and love. Steve leaned in and nuzzled his head back onto Tony’s shoulder. He didn’t feel as heavy this time and it made Tony smile.

Steve became sufficiently distracted by their impending date and, as he was put in charge of their dinner, he grilled Tony on what he felt like eating. Tony teased him by being indecisive but internally he was radiating relief. He hated seeing Steve so upset and even if this date relieved only a tenth of the pressure Steve was under, Tony was glad to have thought it up.

They ended up ordering out and got Thai delivered for dinner and stole some of Thor’s strawberry mochi for dessert. They ate in the early evening so it would not be too cold as they ate on the roof and watched the sky as the sun set. The buildings around them glimmered and the rosy glow of dusk swashed all within its sight with its flushed hue.

It was at that moment, Tony turned to his boyfriend and was happy to see him finally looking content. Tony wrapped his arm around Steve’s broad back and tipped his head against his shoulder. Steve rested his head on top of Tony and sighed happily.

“It’s beautiful,” Steve whispered and Tony hummed in agreement. Steve continued, “We should do this more…just sit back and enjoy the world. I feel like all we do is hide away from it when we aren’t saving it.”

Tony smirked and murmured, “It’s pretty hard to enjoy when vultures are circling us.”

Steve also smirked at the irony but added, “Luckily, the ‘figurative vultures’ cannot fly whereas you can.”

“I like the way you think, Rogers,” Tony chuckled.

“Good thing because you _are_ dating me,” Steve teased, shaking the shoulder Tony’s head rested on.

“Speaking of dating…isn’t this date supposed to move on to my lab with dancing?”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Steve blush, it appeared redder than usual thanks to the red light of dusk. Steve sputtered, “W-Well…I-I mean… I can’t really dance?”

Tony sat back and laughed, drawing a pout from Steve. Between chuckles, he gasped, “But _you_ suggested the dancing!”

“I always wanted to do it. Bucky brought me to the dance halls all the time in my era but no dame ever wanted to dance with me,” Steve said, his blush growing redder.

Tony smirked and grasped Steve’s chin. He pulled Steve’s face in so they were only centimeters apart and whispered, “Baby, the way I dance, you would’ve never seen it in a reputable dance hall today, nonetheless one in the forties.”

Steve stared at him as if he were entranced and gulped, signaling to Tony he got the gist of what he was suggesting. Tony smirked wantonly at him and whispered, “Ready to learn, beloved?”

Steve nodded wildly and Tony could not help but laugh as he jumped to his feet and helped Steve up.

They hurried to the elevator and Steve chortled as Tony tugged on his arm. They entered the lift at a run and crashed into the wall and each other. They erupted into a laughing mess as Jarvis wordlessly moved the elevator for them.

Tony untucked Steve’s shirt and declared, “You are way too overdressed for my dance parlor!”

Steve chuckled and helped him remove his shirt and then he helped Tony out of his own. Once they were both bare chested, they irrevocably were drawn back to each other. Tony wrapped his arms behind Steve’s head and drew him into a giggling kiss. They only broke apart once the elevator reached its destination.

Tony jumped out of the kiss exclaiming, “Dancing!” He ran out of the elevator and double checked that the area he had cleaned out earlier was free of debris and was glad to see Dum-E hadn’t gotten to it yet.

Steve exited the elevator looking extremely amused and asked, “Are we really going to dance because I feel like we are one step away from having sex.” He motioned to their both being half dressed.

Tony laughed and kicked off his shoes. Steve copied the move and Tony replied, “That’s the whole point.” Steve’s eyes widened and his mouth popped open. Tony stared at him with heated eyes as he commanded,” Jarvis, lights at thirty percent and play that music I selected earlier.”

The lights dimmed and a slow beat started. He held out his hand to Steve and murmured, “C’mere, Steve.”

Steve licked his lips and then quickly joined Tony’s side. He went to grab Tony’s hand like one would do with the waltz or any other traditional dancing but Tony shook his head.

“What do I do? And how are we going to do this? Which one of us is going to be the girl?” Steve asked in confusion.

Tony smirked in anticipation and placed hand over Steve’s heart. He slowly circled Steve and ran his hand along Steve’s body. Steve stood still as Tony whispered, “I never learned any traditional dance moves. There’s no boy or girl position. It’s just like sex, we work together, and your “dancing position” is to either take pleasure, give pleasure, or do both.” Steve’s eyes widened almost comically and, beneath his hand, he felt Steve tremble. Tony huskily whispered, “Everything I learned was from dark and dirty clubs where you couldn’t see your dance partner…” Tony’s hand ran over Stave’s ass and he cupped it similarly as he did when they made love. Steve inhaled sharply and Tony added, “And you knew your dance partner only by touch.”

Tony paused when he had fully circled Steve and slotted a leg between Steve’s thighs and pressed his leg into his crotch. He was happy to feel Steve was already half hard. He pushed one of Steve’s thighs between his legs and rubbed his own growing erection into the hard muscle. They wrapped their arms around each other and Steve stared at him as if memorized.

Tony instructed, “Move with the music and me and then you will be dancing. Follow my lead, love.”

Tony slowly moved against Steve, waiting for Steve to mirror his movements. Steve did but stared at Tony with large blue eyes, almost as if he was bewitched. Those eyes drooped with pleasure as Tony pressed into him and Steve grew more comfortable with his own movements.

Tony grinded onto Steve, following the beat to the music and humped his hips into Steve’s leg. He dug his hands into Steve’s hips and, being the quick learner that he was, Steve grabbed Tony’s torso and pulled Tony’s body to meet his in his own gyrations.

They moved slowly with the music and literally simulated what it was like to gently make love standing up. Panting shallowly, Tony continuously ran his hands over Steve’s chest and back muscles, he thrust into Steve’s thigh, and rubbed teasingly at Steve’s erection whenever possible. At breaks in the music, they’d either pause to catch their breath or steal a kiss.

Tony spun around, surprising Steve, and pressed back into him. Steve groaned and grabbed the corners of his waist to draw Tony’s ass snuggly against his cock. Tony automatically swayed his hips to the beat, pressing harder into Steve’s hips, and smirked as he made the super soldier shake. Steve bowed his head and messily kissed along Tony’s throat. Tony hummed happily and wrapped an arm over Steve’s neck to keep him there.

The song ended and another with a similar tempo began and they continued to sway and press into each other.

Neither one of them verbally spoke. They communicated through their hands, lips, and hips. It was strangely more silent than when they made love though they were going through the same motions. Maybe it was out of respect to the music…maybe because it was more intimate… Either way, they were both sweating profusely by the end of the second song.

As the third song started, Steve whispered ironically, “You’re right, no one danced like this in the dance halls.”

Tony chuckled and turned around in Steve’s arms to pressed his erection into Steve’s again. Steve bit down on his lip and Tony asked, “How do you like it?”

“A-A lot,” Steve gasped. “I like it a lot.”

“Shall we make it…dirtier?” Tony asked, grasping Steve’s belt.

Steve inhaled sharply and he nodded so furiously Tony laughed.

Still moving with the music and pressed into each other, Steve and Tony undid each others pants. Both garments sagged but did not fall off so Tony dragged himself down Steve’s body, taking his boyfriend’s jeans with him. Steve kicked the pants away and as Tony crawled up his body, he stepped out of his as well. He dragged his hands up Steve’s inner thighs and came within inches of touching his balls before he bypassed his entire waist and ran his hands up Steve’s torso instead.

“You are so cruel,” Steve groaned. Tony grinned and confirmed his teasing abilities as kneaded his hands into Steve’ pecs and twerked his nipples as he humped onto Steve’s thigh.

Steve surprised him as he suddenly picked him up and pressed their hips together again. Tony groaned and wrapped his legs around Steve’s waist. Their underwear was their only barrier but it did nothing to stop the heat coming off Steve or feel the hard press of his erection.

Steve seemingly forgot that they were ‘dancing’ and pressed Tony into the nearest wall, pushed his mouth to his, and plunged his tongue down Tony’s throat. Tony groaned and wrapped his limbs around Steve to draw him closer.

Steve broke the kiss and gasped, “I know it’s not a part of our story but I _need_ to make love to you right here, right now.”

“I won’t tell if you don-,” Tony barely got the last word out before Steve was shamelessly kissing him again. Tony chuckled into his mouth and told himself to remember to seduce Steve by dirty dancing more often. After that, any form of rational thought left him when Steve reached into his underwear and grasped his cock.

\---

Steve played with Tony’s hair as his boyfriend slumbered. They were laying on the floor of his lab, propped up on some pillows they had pulled off the nearby couch. They were still naked since they had made love and Steve was thrumming with a loving afterglow from the sex.

He was happy, _so_ _happy_ that the emotion could nearly burst from his chest and spread the joy to dozens more.

Tony completed him. He made him glad to be alive and felt encouraged to experience more from life.

He didn’t want to lose this.

With that thought his mood soured…but only slightly. After tonight, he was reminded to not wallow in the past or what could have been. There was nothing they could do to stop the trial or change the fact that they did not start dating two years ago. The only thing that mattered was the present and Steve was presently very much in love with the man in his arms.

Tony shivered and Steve moved into action. He gently pulled himself from Tony’s side and then sprinted across the room and dug an emergency blanket out of the closet. He then ran back to Tony and carefully settled next to him. He draped the blanket over both of them and then snuggled close to his boyfriend.

Tony unconsciously pushed himself closer into Steve and Steve’s eyes heated as he got a little emotional. If he had never been frozen he would have probably lived out the rest of his life in a lie. He would have never dated another man and would have died old and alone.

But because of Tony’s crazy idea to protect him with a “fake” relationship, Steve had never before been so true to himself than ever before now.

Steve fingers returned to Tony’s hair and returned to their petting. He huskily whispered, “Thank you.”

\---

Tony woke with a groan. They had fallen asleep on the floor of his lab and his entire body felt stiff and achy. Tony sat up, moaning pitifully as his entire body protested.

Steve sleepily blinked open his eyes and smiled softly when he noticed Tony’s attempt at sitting up.

“I knew I should have put padding on the floors,” Tony whimpered and attempted to stretch his muscles but only managed to make the aching worse.

Steve sleepily rubbed his back and murmured in a whisper, “Next time we should fall asleep on something cushioned like the couch or a bed.”

“I’ll be sure to remember that next time you exhaustedly fuck me flat into the floor,” Tony replied dryly. Steve grinned and kept rubbing at his back and kneading the muscles. Tony leaned into the touch with a groan. His muscles were melting under Steve’s deft hands.

“Let’s go out today,” Steve murmured thoughtfully.

Tony looked over his shoulder, his neck muscles protesting as he did, and peered questionably at Steve. He asked, “Out-out? Do you want to make some kind of appearance or –?”

“No, I just want to spend some time with you,” Steve replied with a warm smile.

Upon that smile, all of Tony’s aches disappeared and he lay back down, returning to Steve’s arms. He hadn’t seen Steve smile like that in a long time. He mirrored his boyfriend’s happy smile and said, “That sounds wonderful. Do you have anywhere in mind? New York is our playground.”

“Actually, believe it or not, I have never been to the Met and have always wanted to go there,” Steve replied as he brushed some hair off Tony’s forehead.

Tony chuckled and said, “They have some of your old sketches there! _I can’t believe you’ve never been_! The curators there will have a heart attack when they see you!”

Steve flushed and shyly smiled. He whispered, “You won’t mind? I know you’re not a big art person.”

“No, but I am big on making my boyfriend happy,” Tony countered. Steve’s grin expanded into its happy smile again and Tony’s heart fluttered happily.

Gone was the sad Steve and hopefully he was gone for good.

Tony leaned in and kissed him, drawing a happy hum from the larger man as he enfolded Tony into his warm embrace.

Despite everything that was going on in their lives, Tony knew for certain today was going to be a good day and nothing was going to spoil it.

_Nothing_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Believe it or not, I'm predicting two more chapters! I can't believe I'm almost done!! :O
> 
> That being said, I just got accepted into an internship and I start next week. It's going to make my life super busy so the last chapters will take a little longer to get out! SORRY! DX  
> I have already started on the next chapter and I plan to cram as much writing in as I can before I start!  
> In the meantime, I made a cover for the Cover! Check it out, [here](http://il0vsuperman.tumblr.com/post/126062933938/i-made-a-cover-for-the-cover)  
> Next time, Chapter 9: The Trial (if the title doesn't give it away... we finally dive into the trial)


	9. The Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I was writing this chapter and because I am so devious, I realized that I can make things so much worse... so I did. >:D  
> Trigger warnings about discussion of rape and graphic violence

The trial was the most talked about thing on all of the news channels and social media. Polls were being taken and conspiracy theories abounded.

Tony, Steve, and the rest of the Avengers tried to ignore it all and live out their lives as normally as possible. Yet, whenever they went out, they were hounded by reporters for their opinion.

Eventually, Thor got so fed up with not being able to order a S’mores Frappuccino at his favorite Starbucks that he blasted out the windows as he yelled at the reporter to stop accosting him. Tony, of course, paid for all the damages and Thor got his beverage after he autographed a picture of himself for the store owner to put up on the wall.

Despite the annoyance of having to deal with the vultures, Tony and Steve did not let them upset their lives. They went out regularly and ignored the press the best they could. Out of all the Avengers they got it the worst but it was something they had come to expect.

The media was not all bad. When patrolling the internet, Tony was glad to see the photos originally taken of Tony and Steve during Steve’s panic attack were lost in the hundreds more that were born from their outings and from the ones they posted personally. In all of these new pictures, they looked happy and so in love and Tony adored it.

The first half of the month no one saw Steve or Tony so the public did not know of the sad period Steve went through but the second half of that month was spent out with them in the public eye and they showed everyone they were together, happy, and confident. Their relationship quickly became so mainstream that the paparazzi were asking them more questions about the coming trial instead of their liaison.

And, of course, there was also TMZ asking them their usual inane questions that always made Tony laugh. He and Steve nicknamed them flamingos and they were always happy to see one of them instead of the vultures.

Nonetheless, their fairy tale vacation ended the same week of the trial.

It lasted much longer than Tony thought it would…

No matter how much Steve wanted to look on the brighter side, he became tenser and more contemplative as the first day of his trial approached. Tony would find Steve staring off into space with a hard gaze and looking irrevocably alone. Tony hugged him every time he saw Steve get that look to drag him back to reality and he’d remind him, “I love you.”

Steve would usually reply with an endearment or kiss but would stay quiet about his worries until…

“What am I going to do without you?” Steve gasped into his embrace one day, finally revealing what he was being so tightlipped about.

Tony tightened his hold on him and promised, “You are not going to lose me, whatever happens, I will be there for you.”

“I know…and that scares me,” Steve replied, burying his face into Tony’s shoulder. Tony’s brows shot together and Steve continued, “I don’t want to tie you down…”

Tony carded his fingers into Steve’s hair and caressed his scalp. Tony could only imagine the thoughts going through Steve’s head and how long he’s been thinking this. He had to set this straight.

Tony promised, “You could never tie me down. Hell, Pepper has been trying to tie me down for years. No one can rein me in! But you…you certainly center me.” Tony pulled back and cupped Steve’s cheek, forcing him to look at him and he continued, “Before you, I was just flying around with no purpose. I was unhappy, but now I am so happy I could burst! ...I want to stay with you because without you I am aimless. Even if you are locked away, not that I believe you will be, I would want to be with you. I love you no matter what. And, that being said, need I remind you that you are Captain America and no one is going to lock you away. _Tyler is insane_. That is going to come out in trial and we are going to win.”

Steve lightly tapped his forehead to Tony’s and smiled at him as his eyes glistened.

“I’m so lucky to have you,” Steve whispered wetly.

“Hell yeah,” Tony replied and Steve laughed. He kissed Tony and Tony wrapped his arms around Steve’s back. He closed his eyes and ignored the salty dampness coming from Steve.

\---

Steve could not sleep the night before the trial. He lay in his bed as stiff as a board and his eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling. Even with Tony curled into his side, he could not relax. Nerves got the better of him and all the he could think about was all the horrible things that could go wrong.

He could tell Tony wasn’t sleeping either by the way his fingers were lightly tracing designs into his skin. Steve eventually grasped the hand and carded his fingers into Tony’s. Steve caressed and played with the other man’s fingers.

“Am I keeping you awake?” Tony murmured into his arm.

Steve turned on his side, keeping Tony’s hand in his, and faced his boyfriend. Tony’s arc reactor cast enough light for them to see each other and he met his tired hazel gaze easily. Steve smiled sadly at him and whispered, “No, you’re not…”

“Then I think I can easily guess what is,” Tony murmured ironically.

“And I think you’d guess right,” Steve replied. Tony chuckled and turned onto his side to fully face Steve. Tony pillowed his head on his folded arm and lay his other arm over Steve’s side. Steve tucked in closer and ran his hand over Tony’s naked back. Tony’s flesh was warm beneath his touch and was marred by old scars and the slight curvature of his back muscles. Steve sighed heavily and touched his forehead to Tony’s. He kept rubbing Tony’s back and murmured, “I don’t think I’m going to be sleeping at all tonight…”

“Me neither,” Tony sighed. Tony rubbed his nose into Steve’s and smiled sadly at him. Steve pressed up and stole a quick kiss to share in the comfort.

Tony chuckled and then cupped his face and drew him into another kiss, this one more drawn out and tender. Steve sighed again but this time it was with content and he lazily returned the kiss. Their tongues lapped at each others and their lips tingled under the light mutual caress.

They languidly kissed and touched until daybreak. They spent their last few hours simply being with each other. They put forth no effort and did no strenuous activity. It was comforting but, with the rising of the sun, Steve halted the kissing with a groan. He pressed his face into Tony’s and moaned, “I don’t want to go.”

Tony sighed and rested his head on Steve’s chest. He whispered, “It’ll be over before you know it.”

Steve’s heart seized as he instantly imagined being charged guilty and Tony’s words of it “being over before you know it” pertained to their relationship and not the trial.

But by now he knew Tony would not leave him, whatever the verdict, and the fear was washed away as soon as it appeared. Nevertheless, he held Tony a little tighter all the same…

Eventually, with the minutes being fleeting, they were forced out of bed to get ready. Steve moved mechanically as he showered, dressed, and shaved, but, all he needed to do was glance to the side and find Tony doing the same things by his side and he felt more human…more relieved. The few times Tony caught his eye, he smiled at him and Steve felt his own lips twitch upward in response.

From there, the rest of the morning was spent similarly as the morning of the preliminary hearing. Everyone was quiet at breakfast, the team came with Steve as a show of support and they drove to the courthouse together, the protestors and media were barricaded outside the courthouse, and they had to go through their chaos again.

This time however, when the doors sealed behind them, Steve did not release a pent up breath…now he felt sick and feared if he opened his mouth he might vomit.

Tony rubbed his arm and was murmuring comforting words to him. Steve leaned into his side with a sigh. The clicking of cameras broke him out of his reverie and when he opened his eyes he was surprised to see paparazzi taking their picture.

“Get out of here!” Tony angrily shooed them away. When the men and women back off, with the help of security, Tony murmured to Steve, “The trial is going to make it harder to control them…”

“Great…” Steve sarcastically replied. Now he had to worry about the vultures swooping in on top of everything else.

“The pictures are going to turn out great! The bags under our eyes are spectacular!” Tony stated, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

Steve laughed despite himself. He enfolded Tony into his embrace and pressed his face against his so their dark, sleep-deprived eyes were centimeters apart. Holding his boyfriend’s eyes, Steve confessed, “I wish you could sit with me…”

“Me too,” Tony sighed. “I’ll be right behind you again.”

“I know…”

“Captain!” Marcel called out to him. Steve turned and saw his lawyers standing down the hall. Marcel waved him over and the churning in his stomach turned to lead and weighed heavily in his gullet.

“I’ve got to go,” Steve stated, desperately wishing he was back in his bed with Tony at his side.

Tony slid both his hands behind his neck and pulled Steve down for a quick kiss. Against his lips, Tony whispered, “I love you.”

Steve lightly caressed Tony’s cheek and whispered, “I love you too.”

They reluctantly parted and did not let go of each other’s hands until their limbs could no longer stretch and their fingers broke apart.

For the last week, he had been meeting with Marcel and his team, going over the testimony and evidence. Steve knew exactly what to say and how to react to any question the prosecution threw at him. But he also knew he would not be testifying today and he anxiously wanted to get it over with.

Marcel gave him a few words of advice and encouragement and then nodded him toward the courtroom. Steve regarded the sealed door warily and then strode forward, leading the lawyers into the court and the eventual turning point of his future.

The courtroom was larger than the one he was in for the preliminary hearing. As Steve stepped in, his eyes spanned upward to take in the high ceilings and as his eyes came back down he met the dark gaze of the one person he did not want to see.

From across the room, Susan Tyler stared blankly at him. She stood with the prosecution and the lawyer at her side was saying something to her but she seemed to be ignoring him in favor of watching Steve.

Steve quickly looked away from her but felt her eyes on him as he made his way to his seat. Tony was already sitting behind the wooden bar that divided them and Steve looked to him instead, taking courage from his gaze. The rest of the team was there with the exception of Bruce, who thought it best to wait outside.

As they waited for the judge, Steve scooted his chair back and reached across the bar. Tony met him halfway and grasped his hand. The others leaned forward and murmured encouragements to Steve but he found the most comfort from Tony’s simple hold and warm gaze.

He could feel Tyler’s eyes burning into the back of his head the entire time but he ignored her.

The trial started off similarly to the hearing as they all rose for the judge and the clerk read off the charges. The main difference were the twelve jurors that entered the room.

Once again the defense presented their evidence first.

For the first day, the Avengers testified. One by one they were called up and testified to Steve’s character. Each had a story to tell that illuminated his virtues. They also testified to Steve not knowing Tyler and his stable and happy relationship with Tony. Clint even grumbled about walking in on them and drew a chuckle from the jury box.

Bruce did not testify, stating his temperament would not be able to handle it, and both the defense and prosecution wisely did not fight him on it.

Tony was the last to testify and he smiled at Steve the entire time as he talked about their relationship. He talked about finally feeling at home with Steve and never feeling so in love or happy with anyone else before. Steve could not help but return the smile.

Tony was perfect and he _loved_ Steve. Steve never before felt so blessed. He wished he could launch himself across the room and embrace Tony tightly out of gratitude but he held back to keep from being thrown out of the court.

This time, however, the prosecution questioned everyone the defense put forward. They tried to trip his friends into saying the wrong thing or bringing about any falsehoods they were keeping silent about. None of them fell for it, though Thor became frustrated by “the law man’s two-facedness and inane inquires” and, in favor of a reply to some of the more farfetched questions, Natasha merely glared the head prosecutor down until he moved onto the next question.

Overall, Steve felt the first day went very well. There were no outbursts from Tyler and his friends had presented who he really was to the jurors. From their testimony, the jurors had to get a sense of who he was as a person and understand he would never do the crime he was being charged for.

For the next week, Steve’s lawyers brought forth mountains of evidence in his defense.

Pepper testified to the firing of Tyler and the reasons why. She also provided the video evidence of Tyler putting the Avengers’ trash into the trunk of her car that got her fired.

Marcel provided his own therapist to testify about Tyler’s mania. She stated that her symptoms had nothing to do with trauma but from an ongoing mental disease. The doctor had interviewed, Tyler prior to trial, and was assuming she suffered schizophrenia but could not say so definitely without further sessions.

Past employers came forward and also testified to Tyler’s imbalances.

Tony had obtained her medical files illegally so they could not be used in trial but, with the multiple testimonies, Tyler’s credibility was crumbling. No cameras were allowed in the courtroom but it was still open to courtroom reporters who jotted down every instance of the trial. Every day, the rest of the world indirectly heard their testimony and collected evidence. Social media was discussing it on all the available forums and support for Steve’s case was growing.

Tyler was being unusually silent. She never once interrupted the proceedings but her eyes were always angry.

Last, but not least, Steve testified.

Marcel questioned him all day. He asked him questions firstly about himself, about his job, about his relationship with Tony, and about his nonexistent relationship with Tyler. When he started questioning Steve about Tyler, he automatically tensed, expecting the same outburst from Tyler when he denied knowing her again. She was silent but glared at Steve throughout his testimony.

With his testimony, the defense concluded their case, leaving the trial in the prosecutor’s hands…

Steve should have felt nervous. He should have been dreading this half of the trial but… the media, his friends, and complete strangers figuratively sat by his side and heard all the truths that he had. There were still some naysayers, there would always be, but the majority of the country was on his side again. Steve felt like he was floating on cloud nine.

Tony had discovered a tiny coffee cart in a niche hidden away in the courthouse the day after he had testified and he dragged Steve to it after his session. The barista, Gary, always greeted him with a wide smile and had their drinks waiting and ready for them.

After Steve testified, Tony hooked his arm into his and pulled him in the direction of the coffee cart. He excitedly gasped, “You were amazing! If I was a doubter then I would have changed my mind after that! Did you see those jurors?? That one lady in pink looked like she wanted to leave the box and hug you!”

Steve chuckled and was smiling so widely his cheeks hurt.

Minutes prior, Marcel had pulled him aside and told him the mountains of favor towards Steve’s defense was a very good sign. He did not want to make any promises but he heavily alluded to their winning the trial.

Tony was right. He was going to beat this.

“You two look ecstatic,” Gary stated as they reached his cart.

“Good day today,” Tony replied as he accepted his espresso. “We’re going to beat this thing!”

Gary laughed and handed Steve his coffee. Gary said, “That’s great! I knew you’d get through this! When I first heard about it on the news, I knew it couldn’t be true!”

“Thanks, Gary,” Steve said, tipping his coffee cup in recognition. They both waved goodbye and slipped away drinking their caffeine and happily leaning into each other.

They walked toward the back, where their friends and car would be waiting.

“I’ve been thinking…” Tony murmured, bumping his arm into Steve’s side.

“A dangerous concept,” Steve observed with a smirk.

“Oh, I love when you’re sassy,” Tony flirted. He skipped ahead and stepped in front of Steve, bringing them both to a stop. Tony grasped the lapel of his shirt and pulled him in until their chests bumped together. Tony continued with a coy smile, “I’ve been thinking…you and me get away. Out of New York and somewhere warm, on a beach, maybe a private island with just the two of us and no chance of vultures swooping in.”

Steve closed his eyes as he pictured the scene and moaned, “That sounds amazing.”

“And neither of us are going to wear a scrap of clothing the entire time,” Tony added.

Steve laughed and lowered his head to huskily whisper in Tony’s ear, “That sounds even _more_ amazing.”

“Ohhhhh, you just made my toes curl,” Tony gasped and playfully pushed at his chest.

Tony sauntered forward, swaying his hips in a way Tony knew Steve liked. Steve watched him for a moment, enjoying the sway of his boyfriend’s body and then dashed after him. He draped his arm across his back and grasped his behind possessively.

Tony laughed and leaned happily into his hold. He rested his head on Steve’s shoulder and smiled jubilantly at him. The breath caught in Steve’s throat as he remembered how in love he was with Tony. He leaned down and kissed Tony, his goatee tickling his lips as he did.

As those thoughts rolled through Steve’s head, Tony made it all perfect as he whispered into Steve’s lips, “Love you.”

\---

The prosecutor was cutthroat but Steve had been expecting it as Marcel had warned and prepped him.

He brought in disgruntled officers to complain about him and the Avengers and civilians who felt like the Avengers could have done more to help them in the hour of need. Tony had called them crybabies and told Steve not to listen to anything they said because they were just whining. Steve tried…but he could not help but agree with the civilians… In certain instances, had they taken a different tactic, more property or lives could have been saved.

Yet whenever these dark thoughts threatened to overcome him again, Steve need merely glance behind him, meet Tony’s warm gaze, and forget all about it. With one look, Tony made him feel like everything was alright and he could figuratively feel their love pool into his chest.

The most frightening part of the trial was also the most critical.

It was not Tyler’s testimony. She would go last like Steve had for his defense.

It was the DNA evidence that scared him the most.

As the evidence was presented by the state’s medical examiner, Steve watched the juror box. His stomach curdled as he saw doubt begin to flicker in their eyes.

As the prosecution was wrapping up their questions, Marcel leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

Steve looked at his lawyer and the man smiled just a tad. He grabbed a manila folder off the table and got to his feet in a quick rush.

As he approached the medical examiner, he asked, “Sir, how old was the DNA?”

“Old. So old we cannot properly date it,” the man retorted. “It was degraded and could have been there for days, weeks, even years.”

Marcel pulled an 8x10 photo out of his folder and asked, “Was this the dress you took the sample from?”

The witness squinted at the picture and then nodded, saying, “Yup, that’s it.”

Marcel strode over to the juror box holding up the photo for all of them to see and asked, “And where was the sample on the dress?”

“Front of the dress, bottom left corner, right above the blue rose,” the man retorted.

Marcel looked at the photo with a perplexed expression and murmured, “That’s an odd place for such a stain…”

The medical examiner sighed heavily and stated, “It’s not unusual for the ejaculate to be found there when the skirt is hiked up to the waist. I’m assuming Rogers did not wait for her to become fully undressed before he raped her.”

“Your honor!” Marcel barked, turning on the examiner with a snarl.

“The last statement will be stricken from the record,” the judge stated and turned to the medical examiner saying, “Only give us your professional opinion, sir.”

The witness nodded with a flush and Marcel glared at him for a few more seconds before stating, “What I find so odd about this dress is the fact that the stain is located on it.”

The medical examiner’s brows pinched together in confusion and he stated, “Sir, this was the condition of the dress when I received it. There was no tampering. I didn’t believe the Captain could do it either but DNA doesn’t lie.”

“Yes, DNA…but you yourself said the DNA was old,” Marcel pressed.

“Yes-,” the medical examiner began but Marcel pressed on.

“Captain Rogers testified, under oath, that he did not touch this woman. Could someone else have taken the sample and placed it on the dress?”

Steve’s heart leapt into his throat and he leaned in closer. He gripped his hands tightly together and breathed shallowly to better listen. It was the truth but they had little evidence to back it other than his word. Marcel had to make this 100% plausible for the jury to believe him.

“Yes, that is possible,” the medical examiner replied, the tone of his voice, however, showed how much he believed it.

Marcel looked at the photo again and then back to the medical examiner. Marcel’s eyebrows also pinched together and he gasped, “I just can’t get over the fact that this is wrong. The stain should not have been on this dress.”

“Objection, the defense is testifying for the witness,” the prosecutor stated, rising to his feet.

“Sustained. Ask a question or move on,” the judge threatened, narrowing his eyes at Marcel.

“Sorry, your honor, but this dress should have never been put into evidence.” He held the photo out to the medical examiner and asked, “This was the dress Susan Tyler claimed to have been raped in while she was cleaning Captain Rogers’ room?”

“Yes,” the examiner replied with an aspirated edge to his voice.

“Then my confusion stems from this: Tyler claimed to be working when this happened but this is not her uniform.”

The medical examiner’s jaw dropped and he stared at the photo Marcel held with shock. Marcel continued, “We do not have an exact date for the ‘rape’ nor do we have any video from Captain Rogers’ private rooms but Mr. Stark has surveillance of the rest of the buildings. He also has video of Ms. Tyler entering and leaving his Tower wearing her uniform throughout her entire employment. We also have surveillance of Ms. Tyler putting the Avengers’ trash into her vehicle, including Captain Rogers’ trash. She could have easily attained his sample through there. So, in your expert opinion, is it sufficive to say Ms. Tyler most likely took a sample of Captain Rogers’ DNA, after he had consensual sex with his partner and had thrown away the excess DNA? Could she have put that same sample on one of her dresses and cried rape?”

The medical examiner stared at the photo with wide eyes and stuttered, “I-It was what was given to me – I didn’t realize – the uniform –.”

“Could she have placed the sample there herself?” Marcel pressed.

The medical examiner met Marcel’s eyes and gasped, “Yes. If-If what you say is true then it is _very_ possible…”

Marcel smiled and turned back to the juror box presenting the photo of the floral dress. Staring at the twelve people, whose eyes were focused on the image of the dress with looks of shock equal to that of the witness, Marcel stated, “No more questions. We are done with this witness.”

The prosecution was staring at Marcel with absolute astonishment and Steve had to do all within his power not to launch himself at the man. Steve grinned ecstatically at Marcel as he walked back to their table.

As soon as Marcel sat down, Steve whispered, “If I weren’t dating Tony, I would kiss you right now.”

From the corner of his eye, Steve noted a small smirk grace the lawyer’s mouth and Marcel murmured, “You are welcome to try either way.”

Steve laughed at the overt flirtation and behind them Tony must have overheard them because he hissed, “ _Hey_!”

Steve turned and, without a care for the court, the judge, or anyone else who happened to be watching, grasped Tony’s face and pulled him into a deep kiss. The judge slammed his gavel and they broke apart.

“That better not have been the kiss meant for Marcel,” Tony grumbled.

Steve broke away from him with a chuckle and promised in a whisper, “That was all for you, honey.”

Steve turned back and joined everyone as they all looked to the prosecution’s table and waited to see their next move.

Unsurprisingly, the prosecution called for an early recess to reevaluate their evidence.

As soon as the judge stood, bringing an end to the session, Steve shot to his feet and spun around to embrace Tony. He could feel tears prickling at the edges of his eyes and he smashed his eyes shut to hide his strong emotional reaction.

“We’re almost done, beloved,” Tony whispered, returning the embrace with all of his strength. Steve rubbed his face into Tony’s shoulder to rid himself of any spare tears and then pulled out of the embrace just enough to look down at Tony.

They smiled at each other as their eyes met and Steve whispered, “And then our island getaway.”

Tony nodded happily and they embraced again.

“Island getaway, hm?” Marcel murmured, packing up his papers.

Tony looked at his top lawyer with a frown and said, “You are not invited. Why didn’t you bring up this dress before now?? We could have avoided a trial had we had this at the preliminary hearing!”

Marcel sighed heavily and turned toward both of them as he slid his bag onto his shoulder. He explained, “I know and I am sorry for not noticing it sooner. I have been kicking myself since we discovered it. Last night, I had one of my boys looking into the dress, to see if there was some twisted symbolism Tyler could have used. I thought the blue rose might have stood for something that could have backed up her insanity…yet, in the end it made us realize she could not possibly have worn the dress in the Tower.”

“Thank you so much,” Steve said, grasping the lawyer’s shoulder.

“Job’s not done yet but, by the juries’ reaction…I think I can positively say we are going to win this,” Marcel stated with a smirk.

\---

That night, Steve and Tony made love almost in an excited frenzy.

It exhausted them so that they had slept through their alarm and Jarvis’s calls. Bruce had to shake them awake. They scrambled to get their clothes on, laughing as their bodies continued to thrum with excess energy from their relief and joy. They stole quick kisses whenever they got close enough in their readying.

Tony suddenly burst out laughing and said, “We usually kiss like this when we are trying to take our clothes _off_ as fast as possible not put them _on_!”

Steve chuckled and leaned in to steal another kiss as he buttoned up his shirt. He reminded Tony, “No clothes will get in the way on that island you’re taking us to.”

“Oh, yes,” Tony growled suggestively and he straightened Steve’s collar as he pulled him into another kiss.

They had to run to the car and Tony pressed their driver to speed. The rest of the team had already driven ahead to get to the court in time so they were alone in the back for once. The spontaneously pressed into each other as soon as the vehicle started to move and wrapped their arms around each other. Steve’s chest felt bulbous with a happy warmth and he couldn’t stop smiling.

“I have a feeling today might be our last time going to the courthouse,” Tony stated with a grin.

“I _really_ hope you are right!” Steve gasped.

“After yesterday, they’d have to be crazy as Tyler to do any different!”

They ran into the courthouse just as quickly as they had run to the car. They expected to be late and that proceedings had started without them but Steve was surprised to see Marcel waiting for them outside the courtroom.

Marcel walked up to them and explained, “The prosecution is delaying the proceedings. Tyler is upset. It’s a sure sign they told her they’re not going to pursue this!”

Steve grinned and gasped, “That’s great!”

“The recess will last another ten minutes,” Marcel continued. “You two don’t have to go in just yet.”

“Thank God!” Tony gasped. He grabbed Steve’s arm and said, “Let’s go get some coffee or I am going to fall asleep by the time they call mistrial and there is _no_ _way_ I am missing that!”

“Alright,” Steve agreed, putting his hand over Tony’s. He nodded to Marcel and Steve and Tony stepped away, going to the coffee cart.

Gary was working as always and as soon as he spotted them, he hopped onto their usual order.

“I need a triple shot, Gary! This one kept me up all night!” Tony called out to him.

Steve elbowed him and admonished, “ _Tony_!”

“Triple shot coming up!” Gary replied with a smile. He gushed, “You know I’m famous now? They got a picture of me serving you two your coffee yesterday and it’s all over the internet!”

“The paparazzi strike again,” Tony groaned.

The machine in front of Gary hissed and Gary’s hands moved quickly, turning knobs and positioning the paper cup. A moment later, he handed Tony his cup and his boyfriend accepted it with a happy sigh.

“Usual for you too, Cap?” Gary asked.

“I think I’ll go with something different,” Steve murmured, his eyes scrolling over the menu with the options. His usual coffee did not sound too appealing anymore. In his mind, it equated to worrying over the trial and now he no longer had to do that.

Tony stepped behind him and out of his sight as he deliberated.

“What do you want?” Tony suddenly hissed.

By the tone of his voice, Steve was reminded of the vultures and guessed one of them wanted a close up. Steve tilted his head away so they could not get any good photos of him. Making up his mind quickly, he nodded to the kettle, and said, “Just give me whatever tea you have on the pot.”

Gary nodded and quickly readied his order. The older man suddenly paused and paled as he looked over Steve’s shoulder.

Behind him, he heard Tony’s espresso hit the ground and splash all over the floor. Steve spun around and his eyes focused on the back of Tony’s head. The other person in front of his boyfriend was shorter than him and pressed into Tony’s personal space, making him or her virtually impossible for Steve to see.

Tony shuddered, his shoulders shaking violently, and there was another splash of liquid.

Steve looked down as some woman across the room screamed. His eyes focused on the fresh, bright red blood pooling at Tony’s feet and his heart stopped.

Steve reached out to Tony but the love of his life collapsed, slipping from his grasp as limp and lifeless as a doll. Tony was silent as he fell, ramrod straight and made no move to stop his plummet. He landed severely on his front with a horrific thump.

Susan Tyler stepped aside to not impede his fall and smiled at his prone body at her feet. She was holding a large, bloody shard of glass in her hand and her front was covered in more blood.

She grinned manically at Steve and gasped, “Now we can be together forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I got the next chapter out in a week!... Only because I didn't sleep! DX  
> So the last chapter will most likely take longer to come out as I'm gonna need that sleep! But, no worries, I have already written out the next scene (I couldn't stop after THAT last scene) and will work on it when I have free time! I can't leave y'all hanging for long after what I just did to Tony!  
> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Next Time, Ch. 10 The Getaway


	10. The Getaway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter is finally here! Before you start reading, if you'd like to read the last scene in ch. 9 from Tony's POV please click [here](http://il0vsuperman.tumblr.com/post/127426274098/the-cover) otherwise, enjoy the conclusion to The Cover! :)

Steve surged forward, pushed the mad woman away, took the few steps needed to reach Tony’s side, and collapsed to his knees beside his prone body. Hot blood soaked into his trousers in seconds and the breath constricted in his chest upon the feeling.

“ _Tony_ ,” Steve gasped, his heart beating frantically as he gently placed his hands on his boyfriend. Tony did not react to his touch or voice. No. He couldn’t – Tony couldn’t be –.

“ _NO! HE’S GONE! YOU ARE MINE NOW!_ ” Tyler scrambled over to them and wildly swung her glass shard in their direction.

Steve jumped in front of the Tyler’s swing and shifted over Tony to block him from further attack with his own body. She sliced his cheek and then immediately flinched back, shocked to having cut Steve. She probably never intended on hurting him as she was so enamored with him.

Around them, the courthouse was becoming a madhouse but Tyler did not seem to notice and readjusted her hold on the glass. Blood dripped from her palm as the glass sliced into her own flesh. With renewed vigor, she growled, “I have done too much to lose you now.”

Before Steve could formulate a reply, a loafer came flying out of nowhere and struck the glass shard from Tyler’s hand. She hissed and a second shoe struck her in the head and she fell back. Steve glanced back and saw his team had arrived on scene with Clint bereft of both shoes.

In the commotion, Steve’s eyes were instantly drawn to Bruce. Even though he did not sit in the courtroom, the doctor still came to the courthouse as a sign of support as he had been doing throughout the trial. He must have followed the others when the civilians started to scream.

As soon as Bruce’s eyes fell on them, he turned green and expanded in an instant.

Steve’s fingers dug into Tony’s back, ready to move him at a moment’s notice. Hulk roared and jumped toward them. His emerald eyes were focused on Tyler and filled with murder.

Steve had to stop him. He had to jump to his feet and try to stop the Hulk but…

But he was rooted to Tony.

Steve hesitated and he felt as if Hulk had ripped his heart out as he considered letting go of Tony to save the very woman who had maliciously attacked him.

Thor spared him from having to make such a decision. He shot after Hulk as soon as he leapt and hit him before he landed on Tyler. They collided with a loud clap akin to the roar of thunder and Hulk was thrown off course, tumbling to the ground and through a wall. Thor yelled out a battle cry and chased after him to fight to keep Hulk back. In the other room, Hulk roared in rebuttal and then the only thing Steve could hear was the clangor brought about in a fight. He prayed no one was in the room with them because they most certainly would not survive the ensuing fight.

The moment Thor had pushed Hulk aside, Steve turned back to Tony. In the few seconds Steve had taken his eyes off him, he had not moved at all. He leaned over Tony, his vision beginning to blur from his uncontrollable tears, and he gasped, “ _Tony_?”

There was no reply and Steve’s fear evolved into a near hysterical terror.

Natasha and Clint reached his side as he was just about to tip over into insanity.

Natasha went to Steve’s side and Clint went straight to Tyler. Tyler was unsteadily trying to get to her feet but she snarled at the archer as he approached and Clint punched her right between the eyes, knocking her out.

Natasha’s hand shot out and touched the pulse point in Tony’s neck. Her mouth thinned and she hissed, “His pulse is weak.” Natasha looked at Steve and demanded, “Did you see what she did to him? Where he was stabbed?”

“No,” Steve exhaled on a sharp breath. “ _I-I didn’t see!_ ”

“Let’s turn him around,” Clint grunted, kneeling next to Tony’s other side. “I’ve got his torso.”

“Okay, I’ve got his hips,” Natasha quickly retorted, grasping Tony’s hips. Looking to Steve, she commanded, “Steve, you grab his shoulders. We need to move him at the same time to not worsen his wounds. Whoever is closest to the wound put immediate pressure on it. Alright?”

Steve nodded and grasped Tony’s shoulders and stared at Tony’s head, looking – _praying_ – for any sign of life. Natasha counted down and they turned him over.

Clint’s hands shot forward to grasp Tony’s abdomen and put pressure on the hole in his gullet.

“ _Christ_ ,” Steve cried, seeing the wound for the first time. It was ghastly and was something he had only seen in the battlefield.

Natasha added her hands to Clint’s to totally cover the wound and Tony’s eyes shot open with the added pressure.

Tony jerked up and let out a bloodcurdling scream that would haunt Steve in the years to come.

“ _Tony_!” Steve gasped and grasped his flailing hands. Steve cupped his face and begged, “Don’t move. Please, don’t move. You’re safe! _I’m here!_ I’m here!”

“Ste-Steve,” Tony gurgled. Blood bubbled from his mouth upon his next ragged exhale. He grasped Steve’s hand tightly. His hand was trembling and moist with his own blood. He tipped his head with a shuddering cry and whimpered, “It h-hurts! _Oh_ _God_! I-I can’t breathe. Steve – I can’t! Oh my God. Make it stop!”

“You’re going to be okay!” Steve promised, clutching Tony’s hand close to his heart.

Tony clawed at his chest with his free hand gasping for breath. He tore open his shirt and his nails gouged into his own flesh drawing more blood. His arc reactor glowed an ominous blue against his deathly pale skin.

“ _Honey_ , please – _stop_!” Steve pled, grabbing his other hand.

“Turn him on his side,” Natasha hissed. “It’ll make it easier for him to breathe.”

They moved him as soon as the words left her mouth. Steve could not muffle his own cry of pain upon Tony’s second scream.

“I’m sorry,” Steve hissed, wishing he could take on all the pain himself. Blood was still dripping from his mouth but now that he was on his side it was no longer pooling at the back of his throat. Tony gasped for breath, never once releasing Steve’s hands.

Tony’s eyes circled wildly around until he locked on Steve. His face was ashen but his eyes were strong as soon as they focused on him.

He held Steve’s hands so tightly that his knuckles turned white and his muscles trembled. Tony gasped, “I-I love y-you.”

“Don’t you dare talk like that,” Steve whispered fiercely. He madly looked around, hoping for a paramedic but the hall had cleared upon Tyler’s attack.

Clint looked with him and, as Steve turned back, Clint hissed, “I’ll find someone!” Turning to Natasha, he asked, “Do you have him?”

“Yes! _Go_!”

Clint jumped and sprinted out of the room at top speed.

Tony groaned and Steve gasped, “Are you alright??”

“F-Fuckin’ peachy,” Tony moaned. He blinked a few times and whispered, “I-I’m seein’ d-dark sp-spots.”

Steve’s hand tightened around Tony’s and he gasped, “ _Stay awake. Stay with me_.”

“…I wanted to stay wit’ you fo-fo’eva,” Tony slurred, his eyes drooping.

“Don’t talk like that – _you_ _can_ – you just need to stay awake. Keep your eyes open, Tony!” Steve begged, fat tears welled in his eyes. This couldn’t be happening.

“ I _lovee –_ ,” Tony sighed.

“I love you too,” Steve cupped the back of Tony’s neck and leaned in, staring hopelessly at him. He pleaded, “So stay with me. _Please, Tony_.”

Tony smiled sweetly at him, his teeth and lips red, and his eyes were sad…his gaze was apologetic.

He coughed up more blood and then sighed, long and drawn out.

Tony closed his eyes and Steve’s eyes opened so wide they were probably popping out of his head. He pulled Tony’s hand deeper into his chest as if he was trying to make him feel his love – make him feel the reason to stay with him. Because, if he – if closed his eyes, if he left – he would take Steve’s heart with him and Steve could not possibly go on.

Tony’s arc reactor flickered and –.

“ _TONY_?!”

\---

Hundreds of photos were taken that day but a single photo stood out among them all and would become one of the most iconic photos of the year.

It was of Steve sitting in a pool of Tony’s blood and nearly completely covered in it. Just at the edge of the photo, a corner of the gurney taking Tony away could be seen. Steve’s eyes had been zeroed in on the medical personnel and his expression was completely open, displaying his despair from his wide, hollow eyes to his tear-tracked cheeks.

It was titled, “The Victims on all Sides” and would become the image to represent the marginalized problem of mental health in the United States. To the masses, it represented a sadly recurring theme in the country that needed attention, but to Steve it epitomized the worst day of his life.

The image will become immortalized in the decades to come, but, when Steve first saw it, days after the attack, he held no praise for its artistic interpretation. Instead, he felt all the horror and fears from that day come back and he had to clutch his mouth to keep from vomiting.

“Did they find Jimmy Hoffa?”

Steve closed the magazine and looked up to the man that was _supposed_ to be sleeping.

Tony was braced up in a hospital bed and looked exhausted and weak but he was awake, _he was alive_ , and he was sheepishly smiling at Steve.

Steve gave him a look. The doctor said he needed a lot of rest and Steve had just gotten Tony off his tablet maybe ten minutes ago. Yet, one look at those sparkling hazel eyes, and Steve was won over. He loved this man too much and humored him by asking Tony, “Who?”

The name flew over his head. Despite his years in the 21st Century, there were still events and peoples whom he had no recognition with. Steve put the magazine down and reached forward to card his fingers through Tony’s lax hand. Tony’s fingers sluggishly curled around Steve’s fingers and he smiled sweetly at him.

Tony chuckled and said, “You don’t need to know…”

“Then I’ve forgotten about Jimmy Hoover already.”

Tony laughed but then clutched his stomach and groaned, “Oh, God, don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”

Steve winced and squeezed his hand sympathetically as he whispered, “Sorry.”

Tony lightly caressed the back of his hand with his thumb and, after a slight pause, asked, “What upset you?”

Steve sighed lightly. It didn’t slip by Tony.

“…It was a picture…from that day,” Steve replied, drawing Tony’s hand up to his mouth and lightly kissing his knuckles. He still marveled at the fact that he was alive and couldn’t stop touching him.

Tony sighed and tightened his hold on Steve’s hand. He whispered, “I survived.”

“Barely,” Steve bit out.

“…It’s not your fault,” Tony whispered.

Steve bowed his head until his forehead was pressed to the hand he held and whispered, “I know…but…”

He couldn’t finish his thought as the irrational guilt washed over him.

If Tyler hadn’t been so obsessed with him, she wouldn’t have had a mental breakdown in the bathroom and broken the mirror, she wouldn’t have taken one of the shards and used it on Tony…

Tony ran his fingers through Steve’s hair and whispered, “I would gladly get stabbed by a hundred crazy women if it meant the end result was _you_.”

Steve raised his head to deliver a level look at his boyfriend. He dryly asked, “Is your head not screwed on right? Do I need to call psyche?”

Tony laughed and touched his belly, groaning, “ _Stop_.”

Steve chuckled and reached out to run the back of his fingers over Tony’s prickly jaw. Tony leaned his head into Steve's touch with a relaxed sigh. They stared happily at each other and all the bad feelings Steve had disappeared.

“Sorry about spoiling our island getaway,” Tony suddenly murmured. “I was expecting to celebrate your mistrial very differently…”

“Me too,” Steve snickered. He grew solemn and stated, “…But I have been thanking God every day that you are still here… _with_ _me_ …”

“My _beloved_ sap,” Tony teased.

“My Tony…” Steve leaned in and lightly kissed his lips.

Mine, _forever_.

\---

Unsurprisingly, the charges against Steve were dropped and Tyler was arrest for attempted murder and a number of other charges, including falsely accusing Steve.

Tony was badly injured from her attack and had to spend a few weeks in the hospital. Organs and muscles were damaged, but, after several nerve-wracking surgeries, he pulled through. Things didn’t exactly go back to normal after Tony returned home. For the next couple of months, he had physical therapy and checkups thrown in with his normal day-to-day activities. All the Avengers hid away in the Tower and avoided the paparazzi, camping on their doorstep and that was just because of the attack on Tony. Just when it seemed their interest was dwindling, Tyler’s trial began and they came flying back, like the flock of vultures that they are and renewed their efforts to get a comment or photo.

So the months flew by and one day Steve happened to look at the date and he realized their one year anniversary would be coming up…except he didn’t know which date to choose.

“Honey?” Steve murmured in question.

“Hmm?”

Tony was just waking up and had yet to rise from bed as he was checking updates on his phone. Steve had already eaten, gone on a run, and showered in the meantime and joined Tony on the bed with a good old fashioned newspaper. He leaned into Tony as he waited for him to finally begin the morning. They did this most mornings and Tony moaned about how terribly domestic and boring it was they but both secretly loved it.

Steve closed his newspaper and asked, “What day is our anniversary? When we started ‘fake’ dating or when we told each other we loved each other?”

Tony’s head snapped over to look at him and his eyes grew comically wide. He gasped, “Oh my God, our anniversary?! We’ve been together for a _fucking_ year!”

Steve winced at the curse word but smirked and agreed, “Yes, it’s been a year.”

Tony put down his phone and gasped, “Wow…It feels like I just confessed to loving you yesterday…”

“A lot happened this year,” Steve said with a shrug. It felt strange to him too. It really did felt like only a few weeks had passed, _not months_. The shocking events that followed seemed to have made their lives fast-forward. Steve looked back to his boyfriend but suddenly couldn't remember what it was like without him in his life. Time may have slipped by but their relationship had solidified in the meantime. Steve could barely remember feeling embarrassed about holding his hand when they first started "dating." It was natural as breathing now.

Steve put the newspaper on the bedside table and then snuggled into Tony’s side. Tony automatically wrapped his arms around him. Steve’s eyes were drawn to the scar on Tony’s stomach and he lightly traced the white line.

“BUT I’ve done nothing to prepare for an epic anniversary!?” Tony gasped, acute horror lacing his voice as he worried about his new aspect to their relationship.

Steve laughed and kissed his side, the closest thing to his mouth, and buried his face into Tony’s torso to get closer to him. He mumbled into his flesh, “We don’t need to do anything big but we should probably choose a date so we’ll be better prepared for next year!”

“Agreed!” Tony laughed and then paused to consider their options. He groaned, “This is hard! I want to celebrate all those days!”

“Only one can be our anniversary,” Steve teased.

“But I want to celebrate the first time I touched you, the first time I kissed you, and the first time we looked at each other and just _knew_ we were in love. I want to celebrate it all!”

“I think we can consider our relationship a celebration of all of that,” Steve whispered happily and began to card his fingers through Tony’s hair. Tony leaned into his touch with a happy sigh.

Tony grinned cheekily and excitedly said, _“Or_ we can do a weeklong celebration and include it all and I think I have just the perfect place to celebrate.”

“Where?”

Tony slipped over him and pressed him into the bed. He greedily kissed his mouth and Steve’s cock instantly popped up. Steve ran his hands through Tony’s hair with a slight moan and rubbed his body wantonly beneath Tony. Morning sex was his favorite kind.

But Tony broke their kiss and pulled out of their embrace. Steve groaned with need and pouted at Tony. Tony was smiling and whispered, “Our island getaway, remember?”

All annoyed feelings disappeared as Steve imagined their little piece of fantasy they always talked about. He cupped the back of Tony’s neck and whispered, “You and me on a private island? Just us – with no fighting super villains, no teammates walking in on us, and no vultures swooping in to take a pictures?”

Tony leaned down to nip at his neck and reminded him, “And no clothes.”

Steve hummed and humped his hips into Tony’s. He repeated, “No clothes.”

“In fact,” Tony added, hands pulling at Steve’s shirt. “You shouldn’t be wearing clothes right now.”

“Yes, please,” Steve gasped and Tony threw Steve’s shirt aside before falling on him with a hungry growl that made Steve laugh.

\---

When Tony Stark says he’s getting an island, _he’s getting a goddamn island_.

Pepper tried to convince him to rent one but in the end relented her protests and helped him pick out a small island that was far away enough from any kind of civilization. He swiftly built a small house with a lab, gym, and _spectacular_ bedroom. The building had its own arc reactor and would be able to be powered for centuries. The island itself was a small blotch of land and Steve wouldn’t get a proper run on it but Tony planned to make the younger man so exhausted from other activities that he wouldn’t need to run.

The building held them up so they arrived at the island a little after their anniversary but that just seemed to perfectly picture their relationship: good things happening a little later.

Tony flew them there and when they landed Steve excitedly looked around. Tony took their bags into the living room and then went into the lab for his armor to disassemble.

He heard Steve laugh and grinned mischievously to himself. He walked back to the front of the house, stripping as he did. Eventually he was only in his birthday suit and his cock was already hardening. He opened the front door and leaned on the frame, crossing his arms across his chest. Steve was standing in the warm surf and reaching down to touch the water. It was his first time in a tropical climate and he was only used to the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Steve did not notice Tony and continued to happily marvel at the warm waters.

When he was fully erect, Tony announced his presence by stating, “Beloved, you are too overdressed for this island.”

Steve spun around and, soon as his eyes fell on Tony, his gaze darkened with desire and he gulped.

Tony smirked as he remembered the first time he noticed Steve’s telltale sign of lust. The gulp alone made his cock twitch with interest.

Tony pushed away from the doorway and stalked up to Steve.

Steve didn’t take his eyes off him as he approached but started to he pull off his clothing, slowly, as if he was afraid to startle Tony. Little did Steve know, it would not be him doing the pouncing, but Tony.

In the last few feet, they moved together to separate the distance between them and Tony leapt onto him. Steve caught him and slowly lowered them to the ground. They rolled around on the wet sand, divulging Steve of the last of his clothes, and laughing every time a wave hit them.

Tony’s mouth was drawn to Steve’s like there were magnets in their lips. He pressed his body into Steve and rubbed his hips. Steve did the same and they stimulated each other as their genitals brushed one another.

Tony eventually was able to maneuver the super soldier into the sand and climbed atop Steve. He whispered into his ear, “I prepared myself before we left.”

Steve moaned and he excitedly rubbed his erection into Tony’s. Tony laughed and grasped his boyfriend’s cock and helped line him up. Despite the water hitting them, Tony could feel the lube he had used to stretch himself still inside of him and knew he could take the super soldier. They had already made love that morning and Tony stretched himself out before they flew over.

Tony heartedly groaned, the sound shaking his chest as Steve entered him and skewered him right on his prostrate. Tony bit down on his lip and Steve grinned wickedly at him, knowing exactly what was wrong. Tony tightened his ass muscles and that wicked gleam left Steve’s eyes only to be replaced by shock and passion. With that Tony began to move and it was Steve’s turn to bite down on his lip.

Steve ran his fingertips over the scar on Tony’s stomach. His belly contracted beneath his touch as he repeatedly thrust himself upon Steve’s cock. The white patch of scar tissue was more sensitive than the rest of his skin and Tony trembled as Steve touched him there.

Pleasure was building within him and he grabbed Steve’s hands and put them on his hips. Steve’s thumbs hooked onto his hipbones and his fingers splayed and dug into the soft flesh of his behind. He pulled Tony in, impaling himself deeper and Tony’s entire body was jolted with ecstasy.

“ _Yes_ ,” Tony groaned. Upon Tony’s explanation, Steve picked him up, turned them over, and pressed Tony into the sand. He lifted Tony’ legs over his shoulders and Steve’s thrusts increased, making Tony groan loudly again.

Steve leaned over and pressed a kiss into Tony’s mouth. Both of their moans mingled together and they breathed as one to better keep their mouths connected. Tony didn’t know if he wanted to keep his hands on Steve’s hips or his head. He wanted both points closer and deeper. He wanted to be one with this man every way possible.

Steve’s beautiful blue eyes parted and Tony could literally feel the strength of their bond and love in his gaze. They might not be physically one for long but their love always connected them.

Steve came first and he collapsed heavily onto Tony. But his amazing boyfriend did not leave him hanging and he crawled down Tony’s chest, pressing kisses into his flesh as he went, and he finally took him into his mouth. Tony barely had a chance to grasp Steve’s head before he came.

Steve crawled back up his body with a happy grin fixated on his face. He fell into the sand at Tony’s side and Tony grinned goofily at him.

He decided to address the elephant in the room and announced, “There’s sand in my ass.”

Steve laughed and gasped, “Mine too!”

Tony pushed himself up with a light moan as his muscles pulled and he stated, “Let’s clean up in the water and maybe we could do other stuff while we are out there.”

Steve chuckled as he pushed himself up too. With his eyes sparkling, he repeated, “ _Stuff_.”

“I love our kind of stuff,” Tony murmured as sexily as possible. Which was hard as there was the non-sexy feeling of sand irritating his ass crack. He pulled the super soldier into the water. Waves crashed around them and the tide pushed and pulled at their bodies.

As the warm water lapped at their waists, he felt Steve’s hand stray to his stomach and touch his scar again. Steve always touched it when he was serious and he stated, “Me too…” He traced the healed wound with his thumb and whispered, “I love everything about us…I love you. And with everything we’ve been through, I know I always will… _forever_.”

Tony’s heart skipped a beat but he played it off and teased, “Oh, are you proposing Captain Rogers?”

Steve blushed and sputtered, “N-No, I mean – yes – NO! I just…not yet.”

Tony laughed as Steve tripped over his words and silenced him with a kiss. Steve hesitated for a second but then relaxed and returned it, cupping Tony’s face as he did.

Steve would bring it up again later and be adorably nervous about it because they had never discussed marriage before but Steve was right. They _did_ belong together and Tony did not care if they waited a few more years or got married tomorrow.

Their relationship may have had an unorthodox start but he and Steve were made for each other.

Tony wound his arms behind Steve’s neck to deepen the kiss and the super soldier, his heart and life, pressed back into him with a smile.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has been reading, just started reading, left kudos, bookmarked, or commented! All your positive feedback (and cries of terror) are greatly appreciated! XD
> 
> The Cover is done but my stony stories are far from done! But where to start next? I have many ideas for our boys... top three are a soul mate au (they are given timers at birth and Steve grows up thinking he will die before meeting his mate and when he finally meets Tony... angst and feels ensue), a sequel to [August 20th](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2082486/chapters/4530894) (in other words more superfamily!), and finally a fic where Steve wakes in the ice by himself before SHIELD finds him (and how he discovers the modern world and Tony)!  
> If you are interested in reading any of those subscribe to me or my tumbler! :D  
> (btw let me know which you'd prefer to see first and I'll start working on that first ^_^)
> 
> Thanks again for reading! I'll see y'all again for the next emotional roller coaster! >:D


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